Remembering Denys Overholser, the Man Who Invented the Stealth Plane

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Overholser was a pioneer of early aerial stealth technology, helping to geometrically shape aircraft in order to scatter radar waves from the ground.

Denys Overholser, a pioneering engineer who worked for many years in Lockheed Martin’s experimental “Skunk Works” division, died on April 28, 2026, at the age of 86. The aerospace giant announced Overholser’s death on social media, sharing an overview of his distinguished career and list of accomplishments.

Widely known as the “father of stealth technology,” Overholser’s calculations transformed stealth technology from theory into something that could be engineered on an aircraft. His work helped produce the F-117 Nighthawk, the world’s first operational stealth aircraft—and shaped the logic behind later, more advanced platforms such as the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, B-2 Spirit, and B-21 Raider. 

Overholser Discovered the “Rosetta Stone” of Stealth Technology

Overholser was born in Glendale, California, in 1939 but raised in Dallas, Oregon. He........

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