[Jeff Higgins]

The "Wobbly Goblin" was just such a truly horrible airplane right out of the gate that it got retired unusually early. Their flying qualities, armaments, and all of that were so severely compromised to achieve its "stealth" abilities that, once they were rendered somewhat less than "stealthy" anymore, it just wasn't worth keeping them flying.

Word had it that once they were deployed for awhile, and had undergone field level maintenance, that much of their "stealthy" nature became pretty compromised. Things like panel gaps, non-flush fastener heads, even things like Phillips heads that had the sealant dug out of them (so they could actually be turned with a screwdriver), and all of that kind of stuff that gets a little more ragged, a little bit rougher, drastically increased its RADAR signature.

That, and we learned a great deal about such things since its inception. The F22 actually is "stealthier", with none of the aero and armament compromises. So, in the end, the F117 was just a very short-lived kind of a "bridge" effort. They are only flying them again in these roles because they have them, and most are pretty low hours.