Stealth Nighthawk F-117A is a Raspberry Pi-in-a-Stick Preloaded with XBMC

Stealth Nighthawk F-117A was a “single-seat, twin-engine stealth ground-attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force (USAF)”, but it’s now an HDMI dongle based on the same processor as the Raspberry Pi, namely Broadcom BCM2825, software compatible with the Raspberry Pi, and preloaded with an XBMC OS, which turns out to the Raspbmc. The main hardware differences with Raspberry Pi are that you lose Ethernet, composite output, and all headers used for hardware hacking, but you gain Wi-Fi, a casing, and an even smaller form factor.

Here are the specifications of the device:

SOC – Broadcom BCM2835 @ 700mhz with Video Core IV GPU/VPU
System Memory – 512MB
Storage – micro SD card slot (up to 32GB)
USB – 1x USB 2.0 host port + micro USB port for power
Video Output – HDMI (up to 1080p)
Connectivity – Wi-Fi 802.11n
Power – 5V/1A via microUSB port
Dimensions – 95.9mm x 33.8mm x 11mm

If your TV supports HDMI-CEC, you can just use your TV remote to control the device, otherwise you may have to use your smartphone or tablet as a remote control. MPEG-2 and VC-1 licenses that you have to purchase separately with the Raspberry Pi are already included.

You can watch the promo video below for an overview of the device, and a short demo.

Anaar, the startup behind the F-117A dongle, is looking for funding via Indiegogo for mass-production. A $59 pledge will get you a Stealth Nighthawk F-117A with a 4GB micro SD card preloaded with “XMBC OS”, and an $80 pledge will add an HDMI cable, a micro USB cable, a power adapter, and… a T-Shirt! You’ll also have to add about $20 for shipping via TNT or POSTNL, which makes the price much less attractive compared to the Raspberry Pi, and other HDMI TV dongles.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.