Stealth aircrafts not so stealth?

[bigbadboss101]

They said the Iraqi turned on their anti-aircraft defence just before the F117 (if I heard correctly) began attack. Does that mean their radar tracked the aircrafts, or did they guess right? Are these Stealth fighters detectable? Do anyone have the technology to seek out these aircrafts? Do the US have the means to detect 'stealth' fighters?

 

[khafra]

It's called the Kolchuga, a highly advanced radar system developed by the USSR. Fits in the back of a truck, detects F-117s, B-2s, you name it. They bought it from Ukraine.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/09/24/1032734164116.html

 

[windwords7]

They still make sound as well and you can hear them heading your way...

 

[Biggs]

ain't that a bitch.... oh well, like it'll make a difference

 

[ex_banana-eater]

the US flys in radar jammers before the bombers go in

 

[Dwight Schrute]

You still see get a signal no matter what with the stealth technology. Istead of seeing one distinctive blip, you get about 40. You can't pinpoint where they trully are.

 

[BigAl]

the US flys in radar jammers before the bombers go in

the A6-E is that workhorse...as far as hearing them coming, i'd buy hearing the A6, it's damn near the loudest jet we have....but when you got an attack bomber coming in at over 400 knots, you really can't hear them coming...ofcourse this does depend on the angle of approach...we used to have F-14's do fly-bys when we were out to see to test our CIWS mounts' radars...a 14 coming at you at 400 or so knots is wicked cool....but all you hear is the air intake when she's about on top of you...after it passes over you'll get a slight delay, depending on speed, before you get the roar...al

 

[BigAl]

You still see get a signal no matter what with the stealth technology. Istead of seeing one distinctive blip, you get about 40. You can't pinpoint where they trully are.

actually, the stealth theory is to absorb some of the rf and the angles deflect the rf signals away from returning to the array....you'll get a return blip, but the hope is that it is so faint or minute that it will tend to blend in with the grass (noise) on the scope....grass looks like alot of specs, so that may be where you're getting the 40 targets from...this is just with raw radar video.
alot of radar operators such as commercial airports rely more on the synthetic video that is generated by the IFF gear (transponders)...and since our military aircraft won't repond to the Iraqi's IFF challenges they won't have synthetic video to rely on...

didn't mean to sound like i was steppin' on ya, just i spent alot of years in the navy as an electronic radar technician...


al

 

[C-bizzle]

Just wrap the planes in tinfoil, problem solved.

 

[Lifeguard]

Going along with what Al and others said...

What the Iraqi's were shooting at were the sound of the bombers...

I have heard (and seen) the Stealth bombers (both F-117 and B-2) fly over me and you cannot hear them until they are past you, and by the time the Iraqi's hear them, it is too late.

 

[Bean]

i heard iraqi anti-air batteries came on AFTER the bombers hit...

and the radar cross-section of an F117 is the size of a fly when coming in at the correct angle... at other angles its more like a dog or cat...

the little radar thing that the USSR developed most likely doesn't work as good as advertised... if it was so good i'm sure Iraqi SAMs would have taken out more than their fair share of F117s and B2s... and they've never shot down even one...

IIRC the only F117 EVER shot down was during the daytime and was during Bosnia... and the US didn't care that the enemy got ahold of the technology after it crashed... its 1970s technology...really makes you wonder what else they got