Who invented Stealth Bombers?

[Jason abz]

Nope, wrong technology there i am afraid.
To put `stealth` simply, if i stand in front of you on a dark night and shine a torch in your eyes, in all probablilty you wont be able to see me, it doesn`t mean i am invisible though. Switch off the torch and i am clearly seen, i can dress in black to make it harder for you however without the torchlight `blinding you`, you can see me.
Electronic warfare.

[g-from-lancs]

wow looks like we got ourselfs a weapons R&D team here

[Jason abz]

Well, Weapons no, i am afraid its not my area G.
EW, did that about 10-12 years ago.

[R33_GTS-t]

Originally Posted by Jason abz

Nope, wrong technology there i am afraid.

At present.

[jae]

Technically the Gotha Go229, as they were given the remit to make them. What we have there is a Horten Ho IX, the most beautiful aircraft ever produced, IMHO.

Lower pictures are of the only remaining IX, currently rotting slowly in the Smithsonian Institute National Air & Space museum store, inventory number A19600324000.

The Germans were incredibly advanced in technology. A report for the MoD in 1947 conservatively estimated that the Nazi weapons research was around 22 years in advance of anything the Allies had. An awful lot of advanced aeronautics and rocketry advances in the 50s were direct results of German material harvested from Europe at the end of the war.

The Messerschmitt referred to earlier was the Me262 Schwalbe, the first production jet fighter, which would have entered service two years earlier if Hitler had not insisted it be re-engineering as a 'revenge bomber'.

Me262s are flying again, thanks to this bunch: STORMBIRDS presents the Me 262 Project - The Project 262 book & DVD is marvellous, BTW.

Nice find on the rebuild. Added to bookmarks. Ta.

[jae]

This is the one disadvantage of not having any TV channels. Very occasionally there is something I really need to see/retain.

If anyone finds a link to the programme on the 5th July on National Geographic, please could they post it here or PM it to me. Thank you.

[Jason abz]

What fibre optics and aircraft R33?
Can`t really see the two being a great area for concern or R&D? Think about it, if an aircraft is that close to you that you can see it visibly , the chances are its too late for you anyway. With longer range weapons etc i see little point in trying to hide an aircraft from someones field of vision.
If you can think of one scenario apart from being on the ground where an aircraft would benfit from the fibre optic type technology used on tanks then i would like to hear it?

Its detection aircraft try and hide from the last time i looked not field of vision.

[R33_GTS-t]

The fibre optics could, theoretically after much R&D, direct radio-waves through the aircraft and even close up they could allow light to pass.

[ru']

Items have already been made 'invisible' to some radio frequencies, although on a very small scale. Light, radio, radar, radiant heat are all the same just different frequencies.

A lot of work is obviously still needed, but there will come a time when it will work.

Stealth is a combination of technologies, but actively jamming stuff (i.e. jason's example) isn't something I'd say was stealthy.

The current planes use coatings to absorb radar (less reflection = less signature), shapes to deflect it away from the receiver and also things to minimise heat signatures too.

[R33_GTS-t]

I agree from my limited knowledge. Jamming something gives your presence away but makes it difficult for them to get a postion and velocity vector. With enough juice, you can fly an F-111 through defences without them having the ability to accurately locate you but that isn't stealth.

[kismetcapitan]

if I pry your eyes out with a fork, you won't be able to see me at all, I'd call that stealth The EF-111 is a pretty effective tool in warfare.

more seriously, what's with the Nazi banners? The picture obviously wasn't taken in modern-day Germany! Was a photo of the picture just not complete without homage and glory to the Nazi Party, or to finish off a "100 point" restoration? I've no problem giving props to German engineering - they may not be the master race but they sure aren't stupid either. I just don't see why it has to be tied into Hitler - the madman didn't develop any of this technology, the engineers did.

[Jason abz]

You are kind of on the right path.
EW aircraft dim enemy radar over the flightpath and surrounding airspace. `Stealth` aircraft have such a low radar reflection that the combination of the two make the aircraft very difficult if not impossible to identify as such. Radar can pick up flocks of birds etc so even with some sort of fibre optic technology, i can`t see it every being possible to hide the mechanisms involved.
Just my thoughts.

[ru']

If you can bend the waves around the object, so they shoot out the other side then it will be invisible to radar. Similarly if rays bend around the object on the way to your eyes then the object will be invisible.

It's been done at specific frequencies, on the small scale already, so never say never!

[gtrlux]

The germans were indeed very close to build hightech planes that would have crashed the allied airforces in a blink.

The reason they failed however was that (same as the japanese) the different brilliant heads who worked for the Nazis couldn't join up in a team and focus on one single strategic-technology. Also did the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe and Marine not work together on research programms.

I read once somewhere: would have been the V-rocket programm's technology and researches been made available for the Luftwaffe plane engineering from the beginning, and would have the Nazi party made the right founds available for jet-engined airplanes researches. . . . the results would have been scary.
Just imagine a full Nazi jet-engined bomber, flying at not reachable altitudes for allied fighters, with some sort of anti-radar camouflage! The allied cities would have looked like Dresden and Hiroshima in just a few months.

Lucky the Nazis and japanese missunderstud the importance of air dominance in war and that they where blinded by 18th century war romantics . . . .

[kismetcapitan]

Nazi Germany also suffered petrol problems, especially late in the war. You can have the most advanced technology, but without fuel it's just gonna sit on the flightline