The science of Stealth
LJ has written an article exploring the science and feasibility of the technology from the movie Stealth. Stealth, for those of you that don’t know, is about “EDI (”Eddie”) a prototype Uninhabited Combat Aerial Vehicle, or UCAV, being piloted by the US Navy.” She breaks it down:
In fact, the real-life Navy has been looking into the construction and deployment of UAVs for both combat and surveillance since the 1960s. 11 different models have been developed over the course of various programs, and 3 have entered actual production. And in the decade between 1985 and 1994, UAVs logged over 10,000 operational flight hours.
In particular, the Pioneer UAV highlights the effectiveness of such vehicles, with its great contributions to the success of Operation Desert Storm. Six of these planes flew in over 300 combat missions, their AI systems aiding in target selection, detection of enemy gunfire, and damage assessment. There was even one incident where Iraqi soldiers surrendered to a lone UAV; they knew that despite the lack of weaponry on the plane itself, they were surely being targeted by far-off battleships that had just been tipped off to their location.
LJ’s got the skinny on scramjets, space travel, and the technology that we’ve got today, and how long it might be before we see a real-world EDI. Funny, though, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of actual stealth in Stealth. Go figure.
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