New Imaging System Could Make America's Stealth Technology Obsolete

[longknife]

Robert Johnson | Dec. 18, 2012,

F-35 Radar

The stealth technology of America's fifth-generation jet fighters, the F-22 and the F-35, could be obsolete after a new discovery from the University of Rochester in New York.

Read more: Quantum Imaging From University of Rochester - Business Insider

We spend all those billions to make stuff invisible to radar and then someone comes up with a way to beat that. It never ends, does it?

 

[Mushroom]

We spend all those billions to make stuff invisible to radar and then someone comes up with a way to beat that. It never ends, does it?

Stealth was never designed to make aircraft "invisible". It was simply designed to make it harder to detect, and especially to get a lock on by missiles.

"Tracking" stealth fighters is well known. The problem for enemies is that normally the track is in the form of a kind of "hazy" return. They know that something is there, but there is just not enough of a return for a missile to get a good solid lock. The one that was shot down over Serbia was a case of the gunners waiting for the perfect time. They used their radar in short bursts, until the bomb bay opened (when the plane is in it's least-stealthy configuration), then quickly fired 2 SA-3 missiles at it.

Any aircraft, no matter how "stealthy" it is can be detected and tracked. The main point here is if this would this provide enough resolution for a missile to lock onto and track. Then could it be placed into some kind of a weapon for use.

Otherwise it would remain good for detection, but not for much else.

 

[waltky]

Looks like a bat plane for Batman...

Northrop Wins Contract to Build US Military's Future Stealth Bomber
Oct 27, 2015 | Northrop Grumman Corp. won a major contract to build the U.S. military’s future fleet of stealth bombers, the Pentagon announced.

A team led by Northrop, maker of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and drone aircraft, beat out another led by Boeing Co., the world's largest aerospace company, and Lockheed Martin Corp., the world's largest defense contractor, for the award as part of the U.S. Air Force's Long Range Strike Bomber, or LRS-B, program. The $21.4 billion initial contract -- the most significant since the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter award more than a decade ago -- was disclosed on Tuesday evening with the Defense Department daily contract announcements. Defense Department and Air Force leaders later discussed the agreement during a press conference at the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said the bomber will "deliver capabilities across the full range of military operations against the most technologically advanced opponents."

A conceptual image of the proposed Long Range Strike Bomber, or LRSB.​

The next-generation bomber will be designed to fight through surface-to-air missiles, as well as electronic and information attack. It will also accommodate lasers and directed-energy systems, hypersonic missiles and other new and emerging technologies. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said the new bomber will allow the service to "launch from the continental United States airstrikes that would be able to strike any location in the world." Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said, "The LRS-B will provide our nation tremendous flexibility as a dual-capable bomber and the strategic agility to respond and adapt faster than our potential adversaries."

The Air Force currently has 158 bombers, including 76 B-52 Stratofortresses, 63 B-1 Lancers and 20 B-2 Spirits, yet with the exception of the latter, many of the planes are susceptible to precision-guided weapons developed by China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. The existing bombers are also aging. Three generations of airman have flown the B-52 in combat, from Vietnam to Afghanistan, and the newest B-52 is more than a half-century old. The service has said it wants to buy between 80 and 100 new bombers at no more than $550 million apiece to replace its aging fleet of B-52 Stratofortresses made by Boeing Co. and a least a portion of its B-1 fleet.

MORE

 

[westwall]

Robert Johnson | Dec. 18, 2012,

F-35 Radar

The stealth technology of America's fifth-generation jet fighters, the F-22 and the F-35, could be obsolete after a new discovery from the University of Rochester in New York.

Read more: Quantum Imaging From University of Rochester - Business Insider

We spend all those billions to make stuff invisible to radar and then someone comes up with a way to beat that. It never ends, does it?

It's the nature of ECM. There will always be someone who comes up with a newer, better system to beat yours.

 

[longknife]

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Robert Johnson | Dec. 18, 2012,

F-35 Radar

The stealth technology of America's fifth-generation jet fighters, the F-22 and the F-35, could be obsolete after a new discovery from the University of Rochester in New York.

Read more: Quantum Imaging From University of Rochester - Business Insider

We spend all those billions to make stuff invisible to radar and then someone comes up with a way to beat that. It never ends, does it?

All kinds of near-future stuff like this on the horizon for fighters. I doubt this'll be the biggest problem in 20 years.

 

[martybegan]

Jason Vorhees approves of bringing this thread back from the dead.

Everyone else? Not so much.