Black Stealth Paint

Originally posted by denseuno
correct me if im wrong but, i thought that "stealth" planes were made up from a radar absorbing/defracting material. not just painted with some expensive paint.

Alot of planes uses both for stealth effects. There are places on a plane that can be non stealthy so other material is used. F-117 require a LCS "butter" to be placed in reflective areas like joints etc. The Raptor's steath features are supposed to be much easier to maintain.

The Black was used in the early days! Today's stealth planes are not black, because black isn't the best color for blending in.

The B-2 is a dark blue-gray, not black!

The F-117 is now being repainted in grey!

The Black paint on the Blackbird spyplane isn't for camoflage, it's meant to radiate heat away for the aircraft.

Tim
ATS Director of Counter-Ignorance

huh? are all the F-117's going to be painted grey?

I knew that one was painted with the same paint that they use for the raptor for tests and for the possibility for daytime strikes...but i'm asuuming that 3 quarters of them will stay black. other wise they should change its name to the F-117 WhiteHawk.

Bunch of gray F-117 pictures

Originally posted by NWguy83
Bunch of gray F-117 pictures

Whats the orange on the F-117 for? I know for testing, but testing what?

Originally posted by FredT
Alot of planes uses both for stealth effects. There are places on a plane that can be non stealthy so other material is used. F-117 require a LCS "butter" to be placed in reflective areas like joints etc. The Raptor's steath features are supposed to be much easier to maintain.

thanks for the clarification, but am i right to belive there is no such thing as a "stealth paint" because if there is, i would like to buy some for my truck!

Originally posted by Murcielago

Originally posted by NWguy83
Bunch of gray F-117 pictures

Whats the orange on the F-117 for? I know for testing, but testing what?

No clue.

low radar cross sections are accomplished using shape and radar absorbing materials. the iron ball paint absorbs radar waves but at a weight cost. you are applying an iron coating over lighter materials and it adds hundreds of pounds of weight. that is why they quit paiunting the space shuttle tanks, to save weight.

after the art of stealth was applied, shape and materials, it was found that the pilots helmet was the main contributing factor to the F-117's total RCS. the engine inlets also have a special grating, the spacing determined by wavelength.

the beauty of stealth shapes is that it is scalable, basically you can build a stealth fighter 4 times as big but still have the same RCS as the smaller one.

stealth is a combination of many disciplines that all trade off to minimze RCS.

Wow the pilots helmet plays into the stealths RCS? I assumed that the canopy had special coatings, was constructed of special materials etc.. and that radar couldn't see thru it to the pilots helmet?




I haveheard that black paint is used because it helps keep the aircraft's skin cooler in flight. I know they aren'treferencing solar heat like a black vs. white roof, butcan someone please explain why black would keep it cooler??

[edit on 22-3-2005 by warpboost]

[edit on 22-3-2005 by warpboost]

it happens that materials that are good absorbers of infra-red radiation are also good emitters of it also. in IR work there are things called black body sources which are essentially heated, flat black metal plates. i've forgotten why this is so, it's been a while since physics 221, i just know it is. look up black body radiation.

The Black was used in the early days! Today's stealth planes are not black, because black isn't the best color for blending in.

The B-2 is a dark blue-gray, not black!

The F-117 is now being repainted in grey!

The Black paint on the Blackbird spyplane isn't for camoflage, it's meant to radiate heat away for the aircraft.

Tim
ATS Director of Counter-Ignorance

Tim's right on the money...(as is Off_the_Street)

Can anyone help?

It am the proud owner of a 180+mph GSXR 1000 (appropriately nicknamed "the Viper") WHERE can I buy some of this paint? How could I put some of this together, ie. is it possible to take falt black spray paint and add little iron shavings/balls to it?

It's not as if I'm a criminal, I'm just sick of the nonsenset, riding out in the middle of no-where tickets...

Has anyone considered there might be different requirements for the various pants based upon the material that is being coated.

I imagine if the F-22 is a carbon composite material it has a different rcs to mask vs aluminum or titanium.

Sounds like a fun time to read a book on edge wave diffraction.

The f117 is also so steathy because of the large flat surfaces which reflect the blip on the radar so many directions it just breaks up . its not just the paint

Originally posted by blythe
it was found that the pilots helmet was the main contributing factor to the F-117's total RCS

So all an enemy radar operator has to look for on his scope is an image of a guy in a sitting position at 20,000ft then?