Did the F/A-22 Raptor turn the corner in 2003?

In article ,
(Denyav) wrote:

Stealth aircraft have a need for protection from the weather. It's got
nada to do with security from photos. And, many military bases don't
allow flight line pictures, even

Right,the passive stealth is an extremely "sight-sensitive" technology.

Not exactly. Sure, someone with a lot of training could figure out one
or two angles that the plane could theoretically be detected from, but
if someone could defets stealth by just looking at it, then why is the
F-117 still flying over heavily defended airspace basically unchallenged
(except for one close-range lucky shot by *one* Russian-made missile a
few years back)? Thousands of sorties over heavily-defended airspace,
and for some reason, people can't seem to get a good lock on it. And
the F-117 is 30 year old tech...

Any trained eye could figure out threat and non threat zones if he or
she gets a glimpse of the platform.

Not really useful, though, unless you know not only the best angles for
a return, but also the exact flight plan the plane's going to take past
your radar. And "threat zones" are relative.

That was the reason why even the security personel were not allowed to look at
f117 during tests three decades ago.

The reason they weren't allowed to see the plane is that nobody was
supposed to know it even *existed*.

But have you any idea why every US passive stealth platform is on display now
almost on daily basis?

Because stealth works so well, and because everyone knows we *have*
stealth planes now. And because there's not a damned thing anyone can
do about them.

Because you dont even need to know the shape of stealth platform in order to
effectively counter it now.

No, you need to know its shape, its composition, and then you have to
figure out how to detect it.

Technology did not stop thirty years ago.

Yep, stealth technology didn't stop evolving. It got even better.

--
cirby at cfl.rr.com

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Slam on brakes accordingly.