History of stealth aircraft The stealth technology was developed initially by the

Germans from World War I, right after aircrafts were invented. During World War I, the visibility of the military aircraft was tried to be reduced by covering the surfaces of the aircraft with a radar absorbing material known as Cellon. It was used by the German airplane Fokker E III. It was a failure because the material Cellon degraded on long exposure to sunlight. Another attempt to attaining invisibility was made by the Germans during World War II, in the Horten Ho 229 bomber. The surface of the aircraft was coated with Carbon impregnated plywood resins which absorb the radar waves. The aircraft would have been virtually invisible to the High frequency (20 30 MHz) band, provide the aircraft traveled at high speeds (550 mph or 890 kmph) and at extremely low altitudes (50 100 feet). At the final stages of World War II, the American

Government launched an operation known as Operation Paperclip to capture as many as German advanced weapons research possible. Thus most of the German research of World War II on stealth aircraft was acquired by the Americans. Americans became the pioneers of stealth technology research after World War II, with the research on the famous Lockheed stealth aircraft in the 1960s.

Limitations of Stealth Aircraft I. Instability of the aircraft design During the early stages, the stealth technology mainly focused on minimizing the RCS rather than aerodynamic stability. The famous stealth aircraft like the F 117 Nighthawk are

aerodynamically unstable in all three axes. They require the Fly by Wire System to maintain a stable flight. Most of the conventional fighter aircraft are unstable in one or two axes only. Thus the stealth aircraft strictly require FBW systems for a stable flight. II. Engine limitations and maneuvering problems Earlier stealth aircraft did not have afterburners, as the hot exhaust would give rise to infrared radiation attracting the attention of the anti air defense systems which respond to infrared signals. Also, breaking the sound barrier would give rise to a sonic boom which is easily detectable, and also the friction between the skin and the air at high speeds would be higher leaving behind an infrared trial which is easily detectable. Since the bombers lack aerodynamic performance, they are not efficient against the fighter aircraft in dogfights. The stealth aircraft are designed to be bombers and are not effective as fighter aircraft. III. Vulnerability during weapon deployment Stealth aircraft are at the most vulnerable to detection during, and immediately after using their weaponry. Stealth payload is still not available and so, when the weapons bay is opened to deploy fighter However, the bombs, would the RCS a will short has be multiplied to and all a radar signals will be able to detect the aircraft. A fast response team this have window been engage counter reduced attack against the aircraft. disadvantage significantly recently. Newer stealth aircraft like the F 22 and F 35 can open the bay, release the ammunition and then close the doors in less than a second. IV. Lesser payload capacity

Stealth aircraft carry all their weapons and fuel internally. This causes a limitation in the carrying capacity of the aircraft. For example, the F 117 can carry only 2 laser or GPS guided bombs, whereas a non stealth aircraft can carry several times more payload than the stealth aircraft. However, the stealth aircraft do not require the extra aircraft to provide air cover as in the case of non stealth aircraft. Thus stealth aircraft are also known as Force multipliers. V. Sensitive skin The stealth aircraft surfaces are coated with RAMs, which contain large amounts of carbon. This carbon content makes them highly unstable, and expensive. VI. Cost of production and operation Stealth aircraft are very expensive to manufacture and maintain. For example, the B 2 Spirit aircraft program cost the U.S. air force almost $45 billion! VII. Schlieren Signature Schlieren are visible streaks produced in a transparent medium as a result of the variations of the density of the medium, leading to changes in the refractive index of the medium. For example, Schlieren are clearly visible in the air nearby the flames. Thus, can anything be that causes by may any disturbance of in the atmosphere Schlieren VIII. detected which the be method easily Schlieren using

photography. The exhaust plumes of the stealth aircraft produce signatures, detected Schlieren photography. Longer wavelength radar Longer wavelength and less frequency radar waves have wavelengths comparable to aircraft sizes and hence the reflected waves produce resonance, which allows for the easy detection of the aircraft. However, the disadvantage of longer wavelength is

that it does not provide a good resolution when compared to conventional radar. As a result, these radar systems should be very large so as to provide enough resolution to detect the stealth aircraft. IX. Over The Horizon (OTH) Radar Over the horizon radar systems posses greater efficiency and range the than the conventional radar of systems. F For 117A. example, The the method of Bouncing radar from the Ionosphere totally overcomes stealth characteristics the stealth aircraft are designed to defeat the high frequency from below or front than the much lower frequency from above. Conclusion Due to the very slow advancement in material sciences and technology, the future advances and research in Stealth technology has become unaffordable or nearly impossible. Thus the future stealth aircraft may have to stand off from their targets and use active long range weaponry to strike off their targets.