To: AntiGuv
I realize almost everyone here thinks this a big joke...
and I hope I won't be called a nutcase,... or worse, reported for revealing state secrets...
(everything following is the result of deduction and connecting the dots of unclassified information)
Here goes: When the stealth fighter (F-117) was first disclosed to the public, it was reported that its "invisibility to radar" was due to its strange, multi-faceted shape. However I learned firsthand from the commander of the F-117 unit that there were antennas on the plane that provided the "stealthiness." This was probably classified at the time, but since we've brought B-2 and other stealth planes on line, it's surely obvious to anyone thinking about it that the aircrafts' shape is NOT the stealth factor. So, what does this have to do with invisibility? Radar is just a wavelength in the light spectrum, if it can be nullified in some way, then the visible wavelengths can be similarly affected. We may already have this technology in use on the SR-71's replacement "Aurora"
To: ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY
However I learned firsthand from the commander of the F-117 unit that there were antennas on the plane that provided the "stealthiness." The only way to nullify the radar with antennas is by going active (radiating a signal which counters the incoming radar). Going active is like waving a big red flag, telling some smarty pants to nail you with an ARM (which is what our Wild Weasles do).
Passive stealth technology is totally different from active jamming. The F-117 reflects/absorbs radar in such a way that not enough of the pulse comes back to the receiver for the equipment to register it. IOW, the radar only gets a very small portion of its signal back, and that signal cannot be read above the background noise.
38 posted on
07/31/2006 1:30:21 PM PDT by
wyattearp
(Study! Study! Study! Or BONK, BONK, on the head!)
To: ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY
the faceted diamond is one solution, essentially analogous to planar mirror surfaces which never present a useful angle of reflection.
the aplanar curve is another solution, analogous to a mirror surface which spreads the angle of reflection to a maximally diffuse (ie: weak) range, producing a very small and vague signal return.
the copper mesh and carbon-fiber materials both planes use to absorb some RF is yet a third solution.
the grids covering the intakes on the F117 is a fourth solution - the grid size allows RF to enter, but not to reflect.
don't assume so much.
41 posted on
07/31/2006 3:42:43 PM PDT by
King Prout
(many complain I am overly literal... this would not be a problem if fewer people were under-precise)
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