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I was watching a programme on tv about stealth planes and stuff. From what i could gather everyone interviewed basically said that stealth is the way to go and how its so great but i heard on another programme that the stealth planes arent as great as they're made out to be.
During one of the Iraq wars i think British radars picked them up from 150 miles and French readrs 50 miles (these are aprox cos i cant remember exactly) also because they have engines and burn fuel they have a heat signiture that cant be hidden. Therefore, stealth planes arent invisable, thay're just hard to detect.
I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on this and what they think of stealth equipment?


Please correct me if i had anything wrong.

This has come up on a few threads, but basically stealth is effective in some circumstances, but detection technology has now accelerated beyond the protection currently offered rendering usual stealth thchnology rather ineffective. I wouldn't be surprised if we had detected stealth aircraft recently, as we do have the best detection systems on the market. However more systems are currently coming out such as ever more sensitive and intelligent infra-red sensors, long wavelength radar (particularly handy at picking up stealth aircraft), and probably most significantly, electromagnetic sensors which no technology I know of can evade. It's thought it is that, developed by the Chinese, which led to an F117 stealth bomber being shot down in Kosovo, though of course that is unconfirmed. That's ignoring farmar Joe with his binoculars, stealth planes are still visible to the eye and perhaps electro-optical sensors, so if you can see directing enough anti aircraft guns in its general direction has a fair chance of bringing it down; it worked in WWII and Vietnam after all.

Use a Bucanneer at 15ft, thats a proper stealth aircraft.

Smilie-man'81 wrote:I was watching a programme on tv about stealth planes and stuff. From what i could gather everyone interviewed basically said that stealth is the way to go and how its so great but i heard on another programme that the stealth planes arent as great as they're made out to be.
During one of the Iraq wars i think British radars picked them up from 150 miles and French readrs 50 miles (these are aprox cos i cant remember exactly) also because they have engines and burn fuel they have a heat signiture that cant be hidden. Therefore, stealth planes arent invisable, thay're just hard to detect.
I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on this and what they think of stealth equipment?


Please correct me if i had anything wrong.

Its Radar not Reader

The F22 Raptor has a radar cross section the size of a pigeon, develop a radar that track 1,300mph pigeons and the stealth games up.

It wasnt just the planes with stealth. They've developed stealth boats, choppers and are developing (maybe already have) a stealth bomb.

How about supercavitation technology applied to aircraft? I'd be interested in hearing about that.
The Russians were (probably still are) trying to sell their Squall torpedoes among other things. They can travel at up to 230mph under water. Surely this can be applied to aircraft with decisive advantages in manoeuverability in addition to acceleration and top speed?

I have to be honest - what the hell is supercavitation technology?

It's technology designed to increase projectile/vessel speed by dramatically reducing friction. It does so by creating a 'pocket' of gas in front of it, or encasing it completely.
Scientific American had articles on this a ways back.
The genesis for the idea was observation of so-called UFOs. How could they manoeuver so fast and at radical angles in Earth' atmosphere..?
Supercavitation (one word) is a product of those deliberations.
If you do a google search on "supercavitation", you're bound to find more info.
Pretty cool, actually.

Stealth is a gimmic, we can't afford enough of it to make a great impact, what we need is new soldier systems. Stealth has to use radar, laser or one of the varieties of targeting systems, and when it is arming and seeking a target it can be located. Like in Kosovo.

So, really stealth technology is outdated.

It was practically outdated when it was first concieved. The very first stealthish plane was the U2 (I think) as it was coated with special paint, fat of good that did, one was shot down by a Russian SAM. Then the Blackbird and Have Blue (F117) which British Radar systems could detect as we have the best in the world . Don't know about the latest such as B2 and the new F22, but it won't be long untill they're easy enough to detect. Stealth is a nice idea when you are facing enemy with no radar or outdated and delapidated detection systems.

One of the most stealthy aircraft made before modern technology was the De Haviland Mosquito fighter bomber WW2 vintage. This was due to the fact it was mostly made of wood.

Artist

Russian innovation

did anyone ever see the shoe phone they developed during the cold war, mental.[/u]