PANAMA: THE ROAD TO RECOVERY : Cheney Praises Stealth Role in Panama Fighting
The Stealth fighter plane, used for the first time to pave the way for U.S. troops invading Panama, reduced casualties on both sides, Defense Secretary Dick Cheney said Monday.
Cheney, on a Christmas Day visit to U.S. troops and Panama’s new leaders, told a news conference that the F-117A fighter was used to drop two 2,000-pound bombs near the Panamanian military base at Rio Hato, 75 miles west of Panama City, where the Panamanian 6th and 7th infantry companies were based.
“It is a very accurate weapon, and the reason we used that particular weapon is because of its great accuracy,” Cheney said.
He said the jet dropped the bombs to pave the way for crack U.S. forces and to stun and disorient the Panamanian military at Rio Hato.
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