Reporter's Notebook: Technology Makes F-117 Nearly Invisible
T H E P E R S I A N G U L F, Feb. 10 -- F-117 Nighthawks are considered "stealthy" because of two technologies, both considered top-secret until recently.
One is the radar-absorbing material (RAM) that coats every exterior surface, which has to be re-applied to screw-tops or scratches after every flight.
While the actual chemical makeup of the RAM is still classified,author Tom Clancy describes it in his non-fiction book, Fighter Wing, as "a mixture of metal or metal-oxide particles or fibers embedded in synthetic resin."
The original substance was highly toxic, so the Stealth pilots nicknamed the ground crewmen who touch up the jets "Martians" for the bulky chemical-protection suits they were forced to wear.
There is reason to believe the Air Force has developed a less-dangerous compound that can now be applied without the awkward precautions.
Even though the black jets got their nickname from the color of their surface and the fact that they almost exclusively operate at night, some pilots believe they would be even less detectable if they were painted dark gray. The theory is that a gray shape, slightly lighter in color than the surrounding sky and stars, wouldn't warrant a second look, since it would register on the human eye as a faint cloud.
These pilots say that a totally black shape is unnatural, and as the delta-winged craft quietly slices through the night sky, especially at lower altitudes, its movement is slightly visible against a field of stars.
Talk to any F-117 pilot and they'll express nothing short of awe and respect for the black jet's design.
Jet’s Shape Helps Defense
The other technology that gives the F-117 an almost invisible profile to radar and infrared tracking systems is the shape of the jet itself.
Lockheed Advanced Development Projects, working in the famous "Skunk Works" design center in Burbank, Calif., designed a delta-wing airframe without a single right-angle surface, since radar works by bouncing into solid objects and then noting the presence of its own reflection.
