Stealth will be critical in the military battles of the future. Technological advancements in surface to air detection capabilities are leaping forward at an astronomical pace. However, advancements in design cannot keep up. Fighter jets rely upon stealth to avoid enemy radar detection. Aircraft without stealth capabilities simply cannot survive in the military battles of tomorrow.
Stealth Technology
Stealth technology was created to counter detection by radar. Radar sends out radio waves and measures the amount of rays reflected back. By doing this it can determine the size, distance and course of an object in the sky hit by the radio waves. Stealth aircraft are designed with surfaces that deflect radar waves to an angle adjacent from its trajectory. Simply speaking, once the waves hit the stealth aircraft, the radio waves are deflected outward rather than to the radar transmitter. This makes the stealth aircraft nearly invisible to radar.
F-117 Nighthawk
The world's first stealth aircraft was the F-117 Nighthawk. The unique design of the F-117 is actually as a result of the limitations of computers of the era. The F-117 relied heavily upon the flat surfaces to deflect enemy radar. Today, stealth aircraft are able to maintain a more aerodynamically efficient design while still maintaining advanced stealth capabilities. The F-117 was a breakthrough for its time. But it's multifaceted designed limited the aircraft aerodynamically.
Drag Versus Stealth
Today, aircraft do not have to sacrifice aerodynamics to maintain advanced stealth capabilities. The tactical fighter aircraft in production today has the lowest aerodynamic drag of any military aircraft ever made. The combined stealth capabilities and firepower of today's advanced tactical fighter make it far better adversary than any aircraft ever created.
New Generation Tactical Fighter
The F-15 was America's frontline tactical fighter for decades. However, it was not at all stealthy. Although it remains a proficient military capable aircraft, it is far outclassed by its successor, the F-22 Raptor. The F-117 is a stealthy aircraft but is limited aerodynamically and carries no air to air capability. The F-22 Raptor is not only stealthy, but carries both air to air as well as air to ground capabilities.
With the development of the F-22 Raptor, the F-15, as well as the F-117 became obsolete. The F-22 continues to be the frontline tactical air fighter of the United States as well as the most technologically advanced military fighter jet in service on the planet.
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