F-117

During the development of the F-117 "Nighthawk," Lockheed Skunk Works' head, Ben Rich, tested a large-scale model of the aircraft at a radar facility to assess its stealth capabilities. To their surprise, the radar detected no return signal, leading the technician to assume the model had fallen off the testing pole—only to discover it was still in place. This confirmed the groundbreaking stealth of the Have Blue design. Amusingly, a radar signal was detected later, but it turned out to be caused by a bird sitting on the model. The F-117 earned the nickname "Wobbly Goblin" due to its lack of aerodynamic stability, ultimately becoming operational in October 1983.