Message posted by Magoo on March 07, 2002 at 0:51:33 PST:
Welcome Anon I wouldn't say the "first stealth" was in the 70's. The A-12 and SR-71 Blackbirds were shaped in part to defeat radar, and also wore iron ferrite paint that partially absorbed radar waves. We must remember, however, that stealth is more than just radar defeating design, it is a combination of that design and operational doctrine! North Vietnamese and 'other's' SA-2 systems could intermittently see the Blackbirds, but could not get a strong enough return to lock on to them due to a combination of shaping, radar absorbant paint, speed and altitude. All they could do was launch a volley of missiles up in front of them in the hope of getting a lucky hit. Remember the F-117 that got hit in Serbia - some sources have revealed that tactics defeated that aircraft, not radar. They flew the same route every day, and the one that got hit popped out under the overcast at less than 7000 feet and got zapped visually. It doesn't matter how stealthy you are if you're flying at 7000 feet and can be seen visually! Magoo
In Reply to: stealth posted by Anonymous on March 06, 2002 at 8:04:18 PST:
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