We're big fans of the nighthawk. Every year we celebrate the anniversary of it's reveal with a special line of merch, but why the reveal?
A closely guarded secret since the 1970s, the existence of the F-117 Nighthawk was first acknowledged in a November 1988 Pentagon press conference. Assistant Defense Secretary J. Daniel Howard released a single grainy photograph of the aircraft.
This press release notably relaxed the secrecy surrounding the Nighthawk program, but it would be another two years until it was truly revealed to the public. On April 21, 1990 a flight of two F-117s landed in broad daylight and parked on the tarmac of Nellis Air Force Base. The “Stealth Unveiled” event drew tens of thousands of visitors, allowing unprecedented up-close access to the jet.
The airshow would go down to be one of the most memorable in American history - the quiet arrival of the mysterious nighthawks captivated the public's imagination and probably inspired a slew of UFO stories at the same time...
It was a deliberate move by the department of defense to flex its muscles - the true nature of the nighthawk was one of instilling fear into it's enemies with it's almost unbelievable ability to slip into enemy airspace and wreak havoc... Except that one time in Serbia.
Due to popular demand, we have faithfully reproduced the "Stealth Unveiled" commemorative apparel which accompanied the original event - it's obnoxiously 90s Apple II typefaces and color are iconic and we painstakingly recreated the original merch down to the halftone textures.
Sizing
These hoodies are relaxed-fit, meaning you'll probably want to stick to your US shirt size unless you're an oversized-hoodie-enjoyer. If you're on the upper end of your US shirt size, definitely size up as these will shrink slightly in the wash.
Construction
Our hoodies are screen printed on Hanes P170 hooded sweatshirts with quality, custom-blended inks in the USA. Printing techniques accurately replicate the original “Nighthawk” t-shirt and should outlast the original in color, fastness, and durability.
