It was the year 1991 when a Stealth equipped fighter jet was used in Operation Desert Storm. On January 17, 1991, at 2:30 am, a Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk jet of the US Navy attacked Baghdad. The aircraft remained hidden from radar, dropped 2000-pound bombs and egressed with impunity [1]. This event cements the stealth aircraft as a must-have capability for all countries. Stealth aircraft use advanced technology to hide themselves from radar detection or reduce their radar signature.
The development of stealth technology started with the undervalued equation of a Russian Physicist, Pyotr Ufimtsev. The work published by Pyotr revealed that an aircraft’s radar signature depends on the edge configuration rather than its size [2]. Lockheed engineers picked up this information and started working on an aircraft with negligible or no radar signature. Modelling the Pyotr equations into finite element software Lockheed engineers developed an aircraft with a faceted design known as F-117 Nighthawk. The faceted design of the F-117 makes the aircraft aerodynamically unstable. With the advancement of the computational power of computers, the F-117 Nighthawk was redesigned to make its structure more aerodynamic stable. This resulted in the development of Northrop Grumman B-2 spirit bomber aircraft.
Figure 1: F-117 Nighthawk [3] (left) and Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit [4] (right) bomber
Several countries have developed their stealth technology aircraft. The United States has F-22 Raptor, a B-2 Spirit bomber, and F-35 Lightning II. Russia has Su-57 fighters and the Okhotnik-B stealth drone. Similarly, China has J-20 and J-31 fighters [3]. Stealth technology is not only limited to aircraft and drones but is also used to develop missiles. Some of the missiles with stealth capabilities are BrahMos, AGM-158 JASSM, 9M730 Burevestnik (Skyfall) Missile, and X-47B.
India is also developing its stealth technology. Hindustan Aeronautical Limited is developing an advanced version of Tejas Mk2 aircraft with stealth technology [5]. Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is another project India is currently working on [6]. BrahMos cruise missile, developed in collaboration with Russia, is another stealth technology India possesses [7]. India is also actively working on unmanned aerial vehicles with stealth capabilities [8].
In conclusion, stealth technology plays a major role in modern warfare. India is slowly but steadily working toward becoming self-reliant in stealth technology. The development of stealth technology will help India handle its threats and better defend its borders.
Dr. Prabhat Ranjan
Assistant Professor
Department of Aerospace Engineering
Alliance College of Engineering and Design
Alliance University
References:
- United States Department of Defense. (n.d.). Operation Desert Storm. Retrieved from https://www.defense.gov/Experience/Operation-Desert-Storm/
- Wikipedia contributors. (2023, May 31). Pyotr Ufimtsev. In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 31, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyotr_Ufimtsev
- Wikipedia contributors. (2023, May 31). Stealth aircraft. In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 31, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stealth_aircraft
- Wikipedia contributors. (2023, May 31). Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit. In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 31, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_B-2_Spirit
- The Economic Times. (2021). India to have own stealth fighter, AMCA. Retrieved from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-to-have-own-stealth-fighter-amca/articleshow/66145087.cms
- Hindustan Times. (2021). India’s AMCA: A fifth-generation fighter jet that will be developed in-house. Retrieved from https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-s-amca-a-fifth-generation-fighter-jet-that-will-be-developed-in-house/story-GgHd8
- BrahMos Aerospace. (n.d.). Supersonic Cruise Missile. Retrieved from https://www.brahmos.com/supersonic-cruise-missile.php
- The Economic Times. (2021). India developing stealth UAVs, drones for lethal strikes on enemy targets. Retrieved from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-developing-stealth-uavs-drones-for-lethal-strikes-on-enemy-targets/articleshow/73019198.cms