Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to AESA Radars: Jam and Toast

The utility of stealth is that it's a force multiplier

Stealth aircraft don't need Electronic Warfare strike packages (other aircraft in the attacking group). They can go in undetected and take out an enemy's air defenses, allowing other non-stealthy aircraft to penetrate easier. That's what the term "force multipler" means - making your forces more effective, and that's why stealth is so important. In the not too distant future, there'll be a term for non-stealthy combat aircraft. That word will be "target."

The F-117A can go in and attack critical targets and air defenses using laser (and perhaps GPS) guided bombs. The F-22 will also be able to do that and much more, including taking out other fighters (the F-117A has no air-to-air capability), ground attack missiles, and now electronic attack.

As for the SR-71, it was a hell of a plane in its day. One of my coworkers was an SR-71 Reconnaissance Systems Officer for 5 years. The plane could blow over a hostile country at the speed of heat and collect some images. What the new trend in UAVs and to a lessor extent planes like the F-22 allow is sustained surveillance over a period of time (for the Global Hawk, that's upwards of 24 hours on station). That's much more useful in most cases.

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