Hiding in the Sky

Nearly 40 years of research into the art of blinding radar's all-seeing eye have made the basic technology well enough known--to the Soviets, among others--to permit a general description of the Stealth's features.

Size: The smaller a plane, the less surface it presents to radar waves. Thus the prototype Stealth aircraft undoubtedly is small. Jane's All the World's Aircraft, the authoritative catalogue compiled in England, reports that the early version was a single-seater, presumably about the size of a fighter.

Shape: Sharp angles and large projections--engine pods, for example --reflect radar waves well; curving lines do not. Accordingly, the Stealth is slickly streamlined.

Materials: The Stealth is made not of metal, for the most part, but of a substance that includes graphite, epoxy resins, plastic and asbestos filaments. These materials absorb and diffuse radar waves. Special radar-absorbent paints also may be used.

In addition, the Stealth is said to use special materials to insulate hot parts of the engine and thus shield them from infrared or heat-seeking devices. According to the Armed Forces Journal, the exhaust nozzles are bent at odd angles, dispersing the fumes in a pattern that confuses heat sensors, such as those aboard Soviet ground-or air-launched missiles. Stealth employs electronic countermeasures--secret, computerized devices that send out confusing radar signals.

All that, Pentagon officials concede, still does not make the Stealth totally invisible. Soviet radar and other detection devices eventually would pick up a Stealth-type bomber, but the hope is they could not fix its location, speed and altitude until too late. By then, the plane could have launched cruise missiles or even dropped bombs.

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