Originally posted by Jef Costello
LOL, ever since Predator 2 people talk about 'bending light' as if it's a realistic prospect.

If you read any of the posts you would realize that #1 no one is "bending" light but rather retro-reflecting it and #2 It has already been
done!! its not some crazy off the wall pipe dream, but a reality! It's been worked on since the late 70's long before the first predator even came
out
Don't believe me? Take a look at this link
projects.star.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp...
This is a good diagram that shows how the technology works
Here's a good writeup on wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org...
And to top it off the Bird of Prey which is very real is rummored to use similair technology, and who the hell knows what is being tested in secrecy
now
"Development of the Bird of Prey began in 1992 by then-McDonnell Douglas' Phantom Works division for special projects. Phantom Works is now a part
of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. The aircraft's name is a reference to the Bird of Prey spacecraft from the Star Trek television series.
The first flight was in 1996, and 39 more were performed through the program's conclusion in 1999.
The Bird of Prey is rumored to have been used
to test active camouflage, which would involve coatings or panels capable of changing color or luminosity.
While these are unlikely rumors, the Bird of Prey was key in the development of a new kind of low-visibility camouflage. Areas that are usually lit
most brightly (such as the horizontal flat surfaces over the wings and the top of the fuselage) were painted more darkly, and areas that are usually
not quite as bright (such as the sides of the fuselage and other more vertical surfaces) were painted a lighter shade of gray. This reduced the
overall contrast of the aircraft, making the whole shape appear to be one relatively even shade of gray. This made the Bird of Prey's features hard
to make out, and made it harder to see against the sky. These low-visibility ideas are currently in use in the F-22.
Source