Nighthawk achieves 100 percent mission capable

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HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFPN) --  The F-117 Nighthawk recently hit its 25th anniversary and is still achieving great accomplishments. 

From Sept. 28 to Oct. 1, the entire F-117 fleet at Holloman AFB was 100 percent mission capable. 

"It is unusual for a fleet of any size to go to 100 percent mission capable," said Col. Gary Bryson, 49th Maintenance Group commander. "The planes fly, the planes break and even at the end of the flying-hour program and fiscal year, we often have hard-broke airplanes that take longer to fix or are awaiting parts for repair." 

Mission capable means the plane is ready to fly, said Colonel Bryson. The aircraft systems are not broken, there are no parts waiting and all the radar absorbent material coatings are within war-ready status. 

Even though 49 AMXS are the actual maintainers of the aircraft, this event was not just because of them, said Colonel Bryson. 

"The MXS (49th Maintenance Squadron) and MOS (49th Maintenance Operations Squadron) are just as involved," he said.

"Maintainers throughout the 49 MXG truly performed as a team to meet this feat," said Chief Master Sgt. Wendy Jones, 49th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. "The group utilized sound maintenance practices and fixing aircraft with a history of maintenance problems." 

"For all the planets to line up and have both (aircraft maintenance units) go 100 percent is something that no one on the F-117A maintenance team has ever seen," said Colonel Bryson.