The French may lose again

If it was tracked by radar, in my opinion, there must have been a malfunction,
was the aircraft shot down before or after dropping its payload? If it was after I would think the problem would be a bay door stuck open, seems most likely to me and that would definitely upset the lack of a radar signature that stealth is supposed to enable. The only other thing I can think of, not being any sort of exert though, is that it was picked up by infrared and taken down that way, an infrared signature is much harder to hide than radar, or such is my understanding.
 
Damien435 said:
The only other thing I can think of, not being any sort of exert though, is that it was picked up by infrared and taken down that way, an infrared signature is much harder to hide than radar, or such is my understanding.
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The F-117 design factors infared in as well. There cannot possibly be such a thing as a jet aircraft with no heat signature, but the F-117 is built to make it's heat signature as tiny as possible.
 
I have to agree with LeEnfield on this from what I have read the F-117 is simple not as 'invisible' as it once was. It stands toreason as it was designed in the 1980s.
 
F-117

I read that about the British Rapier missiles it was at some air show or a air base and the F-117 had some "device" or something showing, and that's how it was tracked. Man wish I would have save that I know I read it it's not like it sounds.

I just went to the forum that I saw this and the " Missiles and Munitions" section and it's only showing page one and not the other pages.

Overall I know the F-117 isn't what it was and newer radar's and IR tracking systems have gotten better as well. Still a great aircraft for it's time and can't wait to read one day where it was tested and used, should be good reading.
 
To my knowledge the F-117 was never "invisible" to radar but it's radar signature was so small it would look like a large bird such as an eagle.
 
The stealth work in two ways.

1. First the materials used in the construction are designed to absorb the rader's waves 'bounce'. Returning a weak bounce to the SAM operator.

2. The odd angles of F-117A are designed to reflect the signal away from the radar dish.

The later has not been proved that effective which is why it was not retained in the F-22 and F-35.

So to a radar operator a stealth aircraft (in theory) would be a small intermitted blip. Not a solid contact.
 
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