John Farley – thanks for the compliment. Coming from you it means a lot
Originally Posted by
JSFfan
Bevo, it's like a game of snakes and ladders, ever evolving.
just to add to what you said
the JORN would be a good example of what a long range radar can do, it's said to be a world leader, but LO materials move on too
Patent US20100271253 - CNT-BASED SIGNATURE CONTROL MATERIAL - Google Patents
it seems LM has access to computer controlled, radar multi-band frequency nanocomposites, the evolving game goes on
As a recently retired division director having worked in the proprietary defense area for a major contractor, I am well aware of the advances in both low frequency magnetic materials as well as the key advances in leading edge construction. The fact remains that in a fighter sized aircraft like the F-35 you will most likely be detected WELL in excess of 60 nm by the latest VHF radar systems especially when they can use both vertical and horizontal polarization.
And just for the record I do not believe that RF signature reduction is no longer relevant. Given modern design tools, adding signature reduction to the design process does not cost nearly as much in trade-offs or cost that it once did. I just believe it is some times over hyped.