As the title says. Also, how actually effective is the radar footprint reduction? I’ve heard that a radar might register a stealth aircraft as a bird and not a plane, which makes no sense at all.
In: Technology
Stealth consists of 3 parts
Absorbing energy, reflecting energy, and not generating energy
At a very basic level radar works by reflecting radio signals off airplanes and receiving them with a big dish.
Stealth aircraft use shapes (angles and surfaces) to reflect radar energy into a different direction than the receiver. If you can send most of this energy in a directly 90 degrees away from the receiver then the radar will have a much harder time detecting you.
Absorbing radar energy is another factor. Metals that reflect radar are replaced with ceramics and plastics that absorb much of that energy instead.
This applies to all facets of a stealth airplane from gold mesh in the cockpit glass, to making sure the blades of the turbines aren’t visible to radar. You also need to reduce the number of probes, hatches, and external stores.
Lastly you need to stop sending out signals that can be used to detect you. So less radio emissions from the plane itself, which can include not using your own radar unless absolutely necessary.
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