[_djo_]

The F-117s are technically still operational, even after their official retirement. https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/retired-f-117-nighthaw...

[hef19898]

Flying is dofferent from being operational in the military sense.

Still impressive that those bird are still airworzhy so.

[_djo_]

They're still operational systems in the military sense, just no longer front line combat assets. They've been relegated to R&D & training.

[hef19898]

So they no longer have operational capabilitied for their initially intended role.

[_djo_]

Yes, but this is splitting hairs a bit.

Are training systems considered operational? It depends. In a systems readiness point of view, yes, they're operational even if they've been re-roled, as opposed to being withdrawn-from-use or having another status.

But if you consider only front-line combat systems operational and exclude all other aircraft including training aircraft like the USAF's Texan IIs, then these wouldn't be included in that category.