Forum: Technology

Two parts to this topic that I've been wondering.

1. How much is RCS affected when a jet is carrying external equipment (i.e. missiles, bombs, fuel tanks, pods, etc.)

2. Have there been or will there be any attempts to possibly make external carriage such as fuel tanks more "stealthy" or at least help the aircraft retain a low RCS?

My curiosity is geared more towards how the F-22 and F-35 are going to maintain a low RCS if they have to carry external armament or drop tanks, as I could imagine their internal weapon bays are limited in space, and most of the time, if not, all the time, a fighter is always carrying at least one drop tank to extend its range.

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Forum Veteran Joined: Apr 16, 2005 - 03:16 PM Posts: 800

Quote:

2. Have there been or will there be any attempts to possibly make external carriage such as fuel tanks more "stealthy" or at least help the aircraft retain a low RCS?

LM has talked recently about a concept of stealthy weapon tanks. They're a sort of external tank where you put weapons inside. The concept was unveiled for the FB-22, but it could probably be applied to other platforms.

Forum: Technology

Affects of external carriage on RCS