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08PG310
Section- A (Finance)
 STEALTH TECHNOLOGY: INTRODUCTION

Stealth technology also known as LOT (Low Observability Technology) is a sub-discipline

of military electronic countermeasures which covers a range of techniques used with aircraft,
ships and missiles, in order to make them less visible (ideally invisible) to radar, infrared and
other detection methods.

 The concept of stealth is not new: being able to operate without giving the enemy
knowledge has always been a goal of military technology and techniques. However,
as the potency of detection and interception technologies (radar, IRST, surface-to-air
missiles etc.) has increased, so too has the extent to which the design and operation of
military vehicles have been affected in response. A 'stealth' vehicle will generally
have been designed from the outset to have reduced or controlled signature. It is
possible to have varying degrees of stealth. The exact level and nature of stealth
embodied in a particular design is determined by the prediction of likely threat
capabilities and the balance of other considerations, including the raw unit cost of the
system.

 A mission system employing stealth may well become detected at some point within a
given mission, such as when the target is destroyed, but correct use of stealth systems
should seek to minimize the possibility of detection. Attacking with surprise gives the
attacker more time to perform its mission and exit before the defending force can
counter-attack. If a surface-to-air missile battery defending a target observes a bomb
falling and surmises that there must be a stealth aircraft in the vicinity, for example, it
is still unable to respond if it cannot get a lock on the aircraft in order to feed
guidance information to its missiles.
 WORKING OF STEALTH

• The goal of stealth technology is to make an airplane invisible to radar. There are two
different ways to create invisibility:

• The airplane can be shaped so that any radar signals it reflects are reflected away
from the radar equipment
• The airplane can be covered in materials that absorb radar signals.
Most conventional aircraft have a rounded shape. This shape makes them
aerodynamic, but it also creates a very efficient radar reflector. The round shape
means that no matter where the radar signal hits the plane, some of the signal gets
reflected back

• A stealth aircraft, on the other hand, is made up of completely flat surfaces and very
sharp edges.
• When a radar signal hits a stealth plane, the signal reflects away at an angle, like this:

• In addition, surfaces on a stealth aircraft can be treated so they absorb radar energy
as well. The overall result is that a stealth aircraft like an F-117A can have the radar
signature of a small bird rather than an airplane. The only exception is when the plane
banks -- there will often be a moment when one of the panels of the plane will
perfectly reflect a burst of radar energy back to the antenna.
 Stealth Technology

• Northrop Advanced Technology Bomber:

The ATB, or Stealth Bomber, is to become the airborne element of the US nuclear strike
triad, it will replace the B-1B in the penetration role and carry out long range nuclear strike
missions. Northrop is leading the project, presumably for their great experience with both
ECM and large flying wing aircraft, Boeing and
Vought are co-operating. Total contracts for
development are worth $7300 million. The ATB is a
heavily classified project, in fact so classified, that
nobody really knows anything specific, at this stage.

It is assumed the aircraft will be a delta platform flying

wing, as this configuration offers both a low radar
cross-section and a good lift to drag ratio, allowing for efficient high speed cruise. Initial
estimates of the powerplants to be used suggested four high bypass ratio turbofans, chosen
for fuel economy and low IR signature. Current estimates favour two variable cycle engines
(a variable cycle engine allows for continuous changes of bypass ratio to meet either thrust or
fuel consumption require ments, behaving much like a high bypass turbofan at one extreme
or a turbojet at the other), the suggested size has also decreased. No specific estimates of
crew size seem to be available, though one could assume two to four men.

Engine inlets and exhausts would presumably lie on the upper surface of the aircraft,
employing inlet S-bends, exhaust baffles and most likely, fairly long inlet and exhaust ducts.

Airframe and skin structures would be carbonfibre composite. Weapons would be carried in
an internal weapons bay, most likely free fall nuclear bombs, as the small size would
preclude the carriage of stand-off missiles or cruise missiles.

One could assume a mission profile of the following

sort - takeoff with full internal fuel from the
continental US or other safe airbases, followed by a
very steep climb, on full thrust, to a cruising
altitude, likely above 40,000 feet. Once at cruise
altitude, the engines would switch to a high bypass
mode and the aircraft would begin a high subsonic,
or low supersonic cruise to the target area. Longer missions may require in-flight refueling.
Navigation would employ inertial and satellite systems, though some form of TERCOM
update could be used, over safe zones. Hostile airspace would be penetrated at medium to
high altitudes, exploiting cloud cover wherever possible to confuse IR surveillance systems.
An ATB would carry a comprehensive passive ECM system, which could classify and locate
all hostile sources of radiation. This data would be passed on to a graphic image generating
computer, which would synthesise a picture of the landscape, with lethal zones (volumes of
space around SAM/radar/AEW systems) clearly displayed. The pilot would then steer the
aircraft between these zones, avoiding detection and/or tracking, simply by following his TV
screen or HUD. Targets would be attacked with free fall weapons, though these may be
equipped with inertial or TV (smart image recognizing systems) terminal guidance, which
would also allow stand-off ranges of several miles, useful for nuclear strike.

Active, most likely deceptive ECM would be employed for penetrating heavily defended
zones, this would be employed if hostile radar were to lock on, at close range, during the
terminal strike manoeuvre.

The ATB entered service in 1992, which leaves us a whole decade for speculation and the US
DoD a whole decade to revise their designs. It is very likely the aircraft and mission profile
will substantially alter, as the USSR refines its air defence structure, only time will tell.

Limitations:
Instability of design

Stealth aircraft are designed with a focus on minimal radar cross section (RCS) rather than
aerodynamic performance. Highly stealth aircraft (the F-117 Nighthawk and B-2 Spirit) are
aerodynamically unstable in all three axes and require constant flight corrections from the
fly-by-wire system to maintain controlled flight.
Dog fighting ability
Earlier full stealth aircraft (such as the F-117 and B-2) lack afterburners, because the hot
exhaust would increase their radar cross section and infrared footprint. As a result their
performance in air combat maneuvering required in a dogfight would never match that of a
dedicated fighter aircraft, but that did not matter since they are both designed to be bombers.
More modern techniques however allow for stealthy designs such as the F-22 without
compromising aerodynamic performance.
Vulnerable modes of flight
Stealth aircraft are still vulnerable to detection immediately before, during, and after using
their weaponry. Since stealth payload (reduced RCS bombs and cruise missiles) are not yet
generally available, and ordnance mount points create a significant radar return, stealth
aircraft carry all armament internally. As soon as weapons bay doors are opened, the plane's
RCS will be multiplied and even older generation radar systems will be able to locate the
stealth aircraft. While the aircraft will reacquire its stealth as soon as the bay doors are
closed, a fast response defensive weapons system has a short opportunity to engage the
aircraft.
Cost of maintenance
Stealth aircraft are high-maintenance equipment, as their stealth capability requires detail-
oriented care. The most obvious aspect is the aircraft's skin that has a specific shape to reflect
radar impulses away from the emission source, and a coating to absorb electromagnetic
waves using materials such as graphite-ferrite microspheres. All openings and edges are
electromagnetically shielded. The cockpit windows are shielded with delicate gold and
indium foil layers.
Cost of operations
Stealth aircraft are typically more expensive to develop and manufacture. An example is the
B-2 Spirit that is many times more expensive to manufacture and support than conventional
bomber aircraft. The B-2 program costs the U.S. Air Force almost $45 billion.