STEALTH TECHNOLOGY
IN
AIRCRAFTS
Presented By:
Pradeep Kumar dye
[Link]-1001343085
Mechanical engineering 7th semester,2013-14
BIJU PATNAIK UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, ORISSA
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[Link] Name of the Content Page no
1. Abstract 4
2. Introduction 4
3. What is Stealth ? 4
4. Working of Stealth technology 5
5. RAS 5
6. RAM 6
7. IR 6
8. Methods of avoiding detection 6
9. Plasma Stealth 7
10. Detection methods of Stealth 8
11. Stealth Aircrafts ofYesterday, 8
Today and Tommorow
12. Advantages of Stealth 10
13. Disadvantages of Stealth 10
14. Conclusion 11
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Abstract :
Stealth aircraft are aircraft that use stealth technology to interfere with radar
detection as well as means other than conventional aircraft by employing a combination
of features to reduce visibility in the infrared, visual, audio, and radio frequency (RF)
spectrum..
While no aircraft is totally invisible to radar, stealth aircraft prevent conventional radar
from detecting or tracking the aircraft effectively, reducing the odds of an attack. Stealth
is accomplished by using a complex design philosophy to reduce the ability of an
opponent's sensors to detect, track, or attack the stealth aircraft. This philosophy also
takes into account the heat, sound, and other emissions of the aircraft as these can also be
used to locate it.
Stealth is the combination of passive low observable (LO) features and active emitters
such as Low Probability of Intercept Radars, radios and laser designators. These are
usually combined with active defenses such as Chaff, Flares, and ECM.
Introduction :
Stealth or low observability (as it is scientifically known) is one of the most
misunderstood and misinterpreted concepts in military aviation by the common man.
Stealth aircraft are considered as invisible aircraft, which dominate the skies. With
anadditional boost from Hollywood action movies, stealth is today termed as the concept
invincibility rather than invisibility. Though, the debate still continues on whether stealth
technology can make an aircraft invincible it was found that stealth aircraft are detectable
by radar.
The motive behind incorporating stealth technology in an aircraft is not just to avoid
missiles being fired at is but also to give total deniability to covert operations. This is
very much useful to strike targets where it is impossible to reach. Thus we can clearly say
that the job of a stealth aircraft pilot is not to let others know that he was ever there.
What is stealth ? :
In simple terms, stealth technology allows an aircraft to be partially invisible to Radar or
any other means of detection. This doesn't allow the aircraft to be fully invisible on radar.
Stealth technology cannot make the aircraft invisible to enemy or friendly radar. All it
can do is to reduce the detection range or an aircraft. This is similar to the camouflage
tactics used by soldiers in jungle warfare. Unless the soldier comes near you, you can't
see him. Though this gives a clear and safe striking distance for the aircraft, there is still a
threat from radar systems, which can detect stealth aircraft.
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The Russian 1R13 radar system is very much capable of detecting the F-117 "Night
Hawk" stealth fighter. There are also some other radar systems made in other countries,
which are capable of detecting the [Link] Gulf war the Iraqis were able to detect the
F-117 but failed to eliminate its threat because of lack of coordination. The most
unforgettable incident involving the detection and elimination of a stealth aircraft was
during the NATO air-war over Yugoslavia. This was done by a Russian built "not so
advanced" SAM (possibly the SA-3 or SA-6). The SAM system presumably used optical
detection for target acquisition in the case.
Development of stealth technology likely began in Germany during WWII. Well-known
modern examples of stealth aircraft include the United States' F-117 Nighthawk (1981–
2008), the B-2 Spirit "Stealth Bomber", the F-22 Raptor, and the F-35 Lightning II. and
the Indian/Russian Sukhoi PAK FA.
Working of stealth technology :
The concept behind the stealth technology is very simple. As a matter of fact it is totally
the principle of reflection and absorption that makes aircraft "stealthy". Deflecting the
incoming radar waves into another direction and thus reducing the number of waves does
this, which returns to the radar. Another concept that is followed is to absorb the
incoming radar waves totally and to redirect the absorbed electromagnetic energy in
another direction. Whatever may be the method used, the level of stealth an aircraft can
achieve depends totally on the design and the substance with which it is made of.
RAS :
RAS or Radar absorbent surfaces are the surfaces on the aircraft, which can deflect the
incoming radar waves and reduce the detection range. RAS works due to the angles at
which the structures on the aircraft's fuselage or the fuselage itself are placed. These
structures can be anything from wings to a refueling boom on the aircraft. The extensive
use of RAS is clearly visible in the F-117 "Night Hawk". Due to the facets (as they are
called) on the fuselage, most of the incoming radar waves are reflected to another
direction. Due to these facets on the fuselage, the F-117 is a very unstable aircraft.
The concept behind the RAS is that of reflecting a light beam from a torch with a mirror.
The angle at which the reflection takes place is also more important. When we consider a
mirror being rotated from 0o to 90o, the amount of light that is reflected in the direction
of the light beam is more. At 90o, maximum amount of light that is reflected back to
same direction as the light beam's source. On the other hand when the mirror is tilted
above 90o and as it proceeds to 180o, the amount of light reflected in the same direction
decreases drastically. This makes the aircraft like F-117 stealthy.
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RAM :
Radar absorbent surfaces absorb the incoming radar waves rather than deflecting it in
another direction. RAS totally depends on the material with which the surface of the
aircraft is made. Though the composition of this material is a top secret. The F-117
extensively uses RAM to reduce its radar signature or its radar cross section.
The RAS is believed to be silicon based inorganic compound. This is assumed by the
information that the RAM coating on the B-2 is not water. This is just a supposition and
may not be true. What we know is that the RAM coating over the B-2 is placed like
wrapping a cloth over the plane. When radar sends a beam in the direction of the B-2, the
radar waves are absorbed by the plane’s surface and are redirected to another direction
after it is absorbed. This reduces the radar signature of the aircraft.
IR :
Another important factor that influences the stealth capability of an aircraft is the IR
(infrared) signature given out by the plane. Usually planes are visible in thermal imaging
systems because of the high temperature exhaust they give out. This is a great
disadvantage to stealth aircraft as missiles also have IR guidance system. The IR
signatures of stealth aircraft are minute when compared to the signature of a conventional
fighter or any other military aircraft.
If reducing the radar signature of an aircraft is tough, then reducing the IR signature of
the aircraft is tougher. It will be like flying a plane with no engines. The reduced IR
signature totally depends on the engine and where the engine is placed in an aircraft.
Engines for stealth aircraft are specifically built to have a very low IR signature. The
technology behind this is top secret like others in stealth aircraft. Another main aspect
that reduces the IR signature of a stealth aircraft is to place the engines deep into the
fuselage. This is done in stealth aircraft like the B-2, F-22 and the JSF. The IR reduction
scheme used in F-117 is very much different from the others. The engines are placed
deep within the aircraft like any stealth aircraft and at the outlet, a section of the fuselage
deflects the exhaust to another direction. This is useful for deflecting the hot exhaust
gases in another direction.
Methods of avoiding detection (Reflected waves) :
There are some more methods by which planes can avoid detection. These methods do
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not need any hi-tech equipment to avoid detection. Some of them have been used for
years together by pilots to avoid detection.
One of the main efforts taken by designers of the stealth aircraft of today is to carry the
weapons payload of the aircraft internally. This has shown that carrying weapons
internally can considerably decrease the radar cross-section of the aircraft. Bombs and
Missiles have a tendency to reflect the incoming radar waves to a higher extent.
Providing missiles with RAM and RAS is an impossible by the cost of these things. Thus
the missiles are carried in internal Bombay’s which are opened only when the weapons
are released.
Aircraft has used another method of avoiding detection for a very long time. Radars can
use the radar waves or electro-magnetic energy of planes radar and locate it. An aircraft
can remain undetected just by turning the radar off.
In case of some of the modern stealth aircraft, it uses its wingman in tandem to track its
target and destroy it. It is done in the following way. The fighter, which is going to attack
moves forward, the wingman (the second aircraft) on the other hand remains at a safe
distance from the target which the other fighter is approaching. The wingman provides
the other fighter with the radar location of the enemy aircraft by a secured IFDL (In
Flight Data Link). Thus the enemy radar is only able to detect the wingman while the
attacking fighter approaches the enemy without making any sharp turns. This is done not
to make any sudden variations in a stealth aircraft's radar signature. Thus the fighter, who
moves forward, is able to attack the enemy without being detected.
Plasma Stealth :
Plasma stealth technology is what can be called as "Active stealth technology" in
scientific terms. This technology was first developed by the Russians. It is a milestone in
the field of stealth technology. The technology behind this not at all new. The plasma
thrust technology was used in the Soviet / Russian space program. Later the same engine
was used to power the American Deep Space 1 probe.
In plasma stealth, the aircraft injects a stream of plasma in front of the aircraft. The
plasma will cover the entire body of the fighter and will absorb most of the
electromagnetic energy of the radar waves, thus making the aircraft difficult to detect.
The same method is used in Magneto Hydro Dynamics. Using Magneto Hydro
Dynamics, an aircraft can propel itself to great speeds.
Plasma stealth will be incorporated in the MiG-35 "Super Fulcrum / Raptor Killer". This
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is a fighter which is an advanced derivative of theMiG-29 . Initial trials have been
conducted on this technology, but most of the results have proved to be fruitful.
Detection methods for stealth aircraft :
Whenever a technology is developed for military purposes, another technology is also
developed to counter that technology. There are strong efforts to develop a system that
can counter the low obervability of the fifth generation stealth aircraft. There are ways of
detection and elimination of a low observable aircraft but this doesn't give a 100%
success rage at present.
On a radar screen, aircraft will have their radar cross sections with respect to their size.
This helps the radar to identify that the radar contact it has made is an aircraft.
Conventional aircraft are visible on the radar screen because of its relative size. On the
other hand, the relative size of a stealth aircraft on the radar screen will be that of a large
bird. This is how stealth aircraft are ignored by radar and thus detection is avoided.
A proven method to detect and destroy stealth aircraft is to triangulate its location with a
network of radar systems. This was done while the F-117 was shot down during the
NATO offensive over Yugoslavia.
A new method of detecting low observable aircraft is just over the horizon. Scientists
have found a method to detect stealth aircraft with the help of microwaves similar to the
ones emitted by the cell phone towers. Nothing much is known about this technology, but
the US military seems to be very keen about doing more research on this.
Stealth aircraft of yesteryears, Today and Tomorrow :
Stealth technology is a concept that is not at all new. During the Second World War,
allied aircraft used tin and aluminum foils in huge numbers to confuse German radar
installations. This acted as a cover for allied bombers to conduct air raids. This method
was later used as chaffs by aircrafts to dodge radar guided missiles.
The first stealth aircraft was the F-117 developed by Lockheed Martin. It was a top-secret
project developed by its Skunk Works unit. The F-117 was only revealed during the late
80s and then saw action in the Persian Gulf.
In due course of time the B-2 was developed as a successor to the B-2. Though both of
them serve different purposes, the B-2 went a step ahead of the F-117. The B-2 was
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developed to deliver nuclear weapons and other guided and unguided bombs. On the
other hand the F-117 was developed to deliver its precision laser guided bombs.
Another stealth aircraft, which made a lot of promises and in the end ended up in a
trashcan, was the A-12. It was a fighter that was designed to replace the F-14 and F-18 in
the future. The capabilities of this aircraft were boasted to such an extent that the project
ended up in a big mess. Billions of dollars were wasted for nothing.
Stealth technology became famous with the ATF contest. The Boeing-Lockheed YF-22
and the McDonell Douglas-Grumman YF-23 fought for the milti-billion contract to build
the fighter that would take the USAF into the fifth generation fighter era. The Boeing-
Lockheed won the contract and the F-22 was approved to be the replacement for the F-15
"Eagle" interceptor.
America now has a competitors, Russia decided to respond to the development of the F-
22 by making the Su-47 (S-37) "Berkut" and the MiG-35 "Super Fulcrum / Raptor
Killer". These fighters were developed by the two leading aviation firms in Russia
Sukhoi and Mikhoyan Gurevich (MiG). The future of these projects totally depends on
the funding which will be provided to the Russian defense sector. There are some hopes
of increase in the funding to these projects as countries like India have started providing
funds and technical assistance for these projects.
Another competition that soon came into the spotlight after the ATF competition was the
JSF. This time Boeing developed the X-32 and the [Link] X-35. With the
experience gained from developing the F-22, they were tasked with making a
replacement for the F-16. This saw great technological advances, as they had to make the
first operational supersonic VSOL aircraft. Lockheed martin took the technical assistance
of Russian scientists who developed the Yak-141. The Yak-141 is the first supersonic
VSTOL aircraft. In the end the Lockheed team with its X-35 won the contract and the
fighter was re-designated as the F-35.
Many projects remain over the horizon that will use stealth technology as its primary
capability. They come from some of the most unlikely contenders. These projects include
the Euro JSF, which will be designed by the team that developed the EF-2000. Russia is
stepping forward with its LFS project with the S-54 and other designs. Two new entries
into this field will be India and China. India will be introducing its MCA, which is a twin
engine fighter without vertical stabilizers. This fighter will use thrust vectoring instead of
rudders. China will be introducing the J-12 (F-12/XXJ). This fighter that is similar to the
F-22.
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Avantages of Stealth :
To date, stealth aircraft have been used in several low- and moderate-intensity conflicts, including
Operation Desert Storm, Operation Allied Force and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In each case they
were employed to strike high-value targets that were either out of range of conventional aircraft
in the theater or were too heavily defended for conventional aircraft to strike without a high risk
of loss. In addition, because the stealth aircraft do not have to evade surface-to-air missiles and
anti-aircraft artillery over the target they can aim more carefully and thus are more likely to hit
the target and cause less collateral damage. In many cases they were used to hit the high value
targets early in the campaign, before other aircraft had the opportunity to degrade the opposing air
defense to the point where other aircraft had a good chance of reaching those critical targets.
Disadvantage of stealth technology :
Stealth technology has its own disadvantages like other technologies. Stealth aircraft
cannot fly as fast or is not maneuverable like conventional aircraft. The F-22 and the
aircraft of its category proved this wrong up to an extent. Though the F-22 may be fast or
maneuverable or fast, it can't go beyond Mach 2 and cannot make turns like the Su-37.
Another serious disadvantage with the stealth aircraft is the reduced amount of payload it
can carry. As most of the payload is carried internally in a stealth aircraft to reduce the
radar signature, weapons can only occupy a less amount of space internally. On the other
hand a conventional aircraft can carry much more payload than any stealth aircraft of its
class.
Whatever may be the disadvantage a stealth aircraft can have, the biggest of all
disadvantages that it faces is its sheer cost. Stealth aircraft literally costs its weight in
gold. Fighters in service and in development for the USAF like the B-2 ($2 billion), F-
117 ($70 million) and the F-22 ($100 million) are the costliest planes in the world. After
the cold war, the number of B-2 bombers was reduced sharply because of its staggering
price tag and maintenance charges. There is a possible solution for this problem. In the
recent past the Russian design firms Sukhoi and Mikhoyan Gurevich (MiG) have
developed fighters which will have a price tag similar to that of the Su-30MKI. This can
be a positive step to make stealth technology affordable for third world countries.
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Conclusion :
Stealth technology is clearly the future of air combat. In the future, as air defense systems
grow more accurate and deadly, stealth technology can be a factor for a decisive by a
country over the other. In the future, stealth technology will not only be incorporated in
fighters and bombers but also in ships, helicopters, tanks and transport planes. Ever since
the Wright brothers flew the first powered flight, the advancements in this particular field
of technology have seen staggering heights. Stealth technology is just one of the
advancements that we have seen. In due course of time we can see many improvements
in the field of military aviation which would one-day even make stealth technology
obsolete
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