arnabmit said: stealthy Su-30MKI???



Wouldn't that include approx 95% reduction in RCS? How do you make an airframe with a RCS of a football field stealthy? Click to expand...

stealthy i mean reduction of RCS i never talked about any percentage like you mentioned i really don't meant it will disappear like a ghost on the radar screens second we don't know whats happening behind the screens, just quote what i read from various web sites.When an aircraft is in the design stages, we attempt to satisfy as much aerodynamic requirements as possible in the theoretical realm. Then inevitably we run into 'real world' demands such as material limitations, air density due to altitude, maintenance issues, etc, and the list is considerable. Once the design is finished, meaning approved for production, any changes to its basic design runs the risk of compromising aerodynamics and possibly rendering the modified design unflyable.With the advent of RCS controls through shaping, the risk of making a currently flying aircraft unflyable is even greater because aerodynamic forces and radar signals affect the same place: the outer surface of the aircraft. Altering this area to benefit one desire can mean disaster for what is established. All we have to do is look at the F-15's and F-16's conformal fuel tanks and see evident of this risk. Those CFTs are not shaped on a whim. Their shapes are the result of long wind tunnel analysis that balances all competing desires: aerodynamics, capacity, and maintenance. Not even taking into RCS reduction consideration.So is it possible to reduce the Su-30's RCS? Absolutely. The issue is how much and at what expense. I would caution everyone not to take seriously any claim by anyone Unless we see something.