[SauronOfMordor]

If they actually start building carriers, wouldn't this suggest that they believe they can neutralize our stealth technology?

Heck, the Serbs had a way around our stealth technology. The way regular radar works is by emitting radio waves, and seeing if any are reflected back by a flying object. The way stealth works is by having the plane absorb most of the radar waves, and reflecting the rest in directions other than back to the radar receiver.

The problem with stealth is that you are not truly invisible, just "radar black". If you get BETWEEN a radio transmitter and a sophisticated receiver, you cast a shadow (this is why the US spent some time at the beginning of Iraq II to take out cell towers and other microwave radio sources). To determine where you are, the other side needs to have sophisticated electronics and good computers that can handle signal processing tasks. The Chinese are investing heavily in electronics technology.

If we belatedly discover the Chinese have developed a good way to put any stealth aircraft between a bright microwave source and sophisticated receivers, then we will have a problem.

[ModelBreaker]

I assume the Serbs managed to see the shadow when the F117 was flying very low??

[ModelBreaker]

I assume the Serbs managed to see the radar shadows only when the F117 was flying very low?? I guess you could have a very high plane with a transmitter flying over the CBG. It would be tough to get a strong enough signal from a satellite.

[Poohbah]

If we belatedly discover the Chinese have developed a good way to put any stealth aircraft between a bright microwave source and sophisticated receivers, then we will have a problem.

Excessively simple solution: lob an AGM-88 at the microwave source.

[1stFreedom]

>>If we belatedly discover the Chinese have developed a good way to put any stealth aircraft between a bright microwave source and sophisticated receivers, then we will have a problem.

Nah. ECM will take care of that. Sending false signals (ECM), decoy drones, and taking out tranmission towers will negate any such defence against stealth. Finally, EMP weapons will help to eliminate the threat.

>>Heck, the Serbs had a way around our stealth technology.

Well, yes and no. From what I understand, they knew the takeoff patterns of the F117s. The F117 can be seen on radar, but usually too late. (Also, I believe that the aircraft was not hit or damaged. I believe it was a close burst and the pilot panicked. From his testimony, it sounds like as soon as he felt the explosion he bailed. Not that I blame him, but it could have been a close hit instead of a direct hit.)

If you know the path and your system can see it, then you have a good chance of shooting it down. Remember that even though Stealth aircraft have reduce signatures, they are still flown outside the reach/path of radar installations. When they bomb heavily defended cities, such as Baghdad during the Gulf War, they flew around radar patterns until the last possible seconds. This didn't give Baghdad much reaction time when faint blips appeared on thier radar screens.

(We know they aren't invisible).

Track the aircraft several times, and you'll find a frequencey which works best against it. Once you got that down, all you need is a spotter to warn you of a takeoff. Then you stand a good chance of hitting the thing.

Expecting to attack the F117 this way is much different than having many planes in the air which show up on your radar. Throw in the fact that ECM is going full blast, and I think that shooting down a stealth aircraft becomes harder under full blown war conditions.

Finally, I believe the biggest threat to stealth comes not from radar but IR based weapons. Heat signatures are hard to hide. Even aircraft skin temperatures can be used to target "stealty" aircraft.