Nuclear stealth

Polonium and Stealth

An even more unusual application of radioisotopes like polonium has come to light. In 1964, a North American Aircraft employee named Henry August filed an application for a patent for a very strange method of reducing the radar cross-section of an aircraft. The patent describes a method of applying a thin layer of radioisotope, such as polonium-210, to the surface of an aircraft with the intention of ionizing the air around the vehicle. This ionized sheath would absorb incoming electromagnetic waves, such as radar pulses, as well as reduce the infrared signature of the craft. In addition, August claimed that by proper use of electromagnetic fields, the ionized region around the vehicle could be manipulated to reduce air drag and control air flow!

Whether such a remarkable idea was ever tried outside the laboratory, given the obvious drawbacks of polonium, is a question that remains to be answered.

Can anybody find this patent?