Stealth aircraft: the art of vanishing into the sky

When it comes to aviation, planes tend to fall into two main categories: commercial and combat aeroplanes. Stealth aircrafts, as a matter of fact, are a kind of combat plane, but it is their ability to become “invisible” in the sky that makes them stand out from the rest of the game. 

A stealth aircraft can be easily identified through its unique look: one smooth continuous flying wing with no fuselage and tail, which gives the impression that they stepped out from a sci-fi movie. This “flying wing” not only helps maintain high aerodynamic efficiency (after all it is a warplane), but it also ensures low-radar cross-section on the surface of the aircraft. Taking into account the fact that a single flying wing is unstable and may tilt to the side, the plane is under control of a fly-by-wire system (monitored by 2 pilots), which makes constant adjustments to the aircraft’s surface, hence maintaining the stability throughout the flight. 

As a combat airplane and to further bear the essence of imperceptibility, a stealth aircraft is coated with radar-absorbed paint, and the body is smooth with minimal seams, all to avoid these beams of radar being reflected on the surface, thus keeping the plane outside of radar’s reach. Deep buried inside that body are four engines of turbo fans, because when situated on the surface, the blades can easily reflect the radar signal. Also, the exhaust is cooled and spread over a wider area of the surface to minimize infrared signatures. 

Another prominent feature of the plane is its airframe. This system is constructed out of carbon graphite composite materials, which are lightweight, durable and, most importantly, radar transparent. At the beginning, the frame contains separated metal sections, and these pieces are assembled together, with the precision equivalent to a Swiss watchmaker, all to make sure no spot can reflect radar beams. 

All in all, a combination of shapes and materials has together forged a stealth aircraft in such ways that not a single radar beam can slide through and report signals back to the airports. It is truly a paradigm of human innovation as a whole and the rapid development of the aerial industry itself. Ironically, this invisible plane is a product of warfare. Thus its silence in operation is the silence of death, and its invisibility is the manifestation of insidious dangers looming behind the clouds of unwelcoming territories. 

Credits: MegaBuilds

Editor: Bach Quang Do
Illustrator: Linh Trieu