Is it possible to get a stealthfighter looking missle, cover it in ram and launch it so radars wont pick it up?

Originally posted by Laxpla
Is it possible to get a stealthfighter looking missle, cover it in ram and launch it so radars wont pick it up?

What type of missile?

There are already stealth cruise missiles in inventory.
The Tomahawk cruise missile is a "low observable" design with a radar cross section of 0.05 square meters.

The AGM-129A cruise missile is a stealth missilie with a radar cross section smaller than that of a sparrow (bird), which has an RCS of 0.01 square meters.

So is the JASSM...

Also France is working on one as is Russia in a joint project with India.
I'm sure there are others.

As far as putting RAM (radar absorbent material) on the skin of a missile, I would think it's possible.

Something else to consider is hypersonic missiles; will the plasma that builds up around such a missile reduce it's radar cross section sufficiently to make it all but invisible to radar?
(plasma is known to reduce the RCS on objects, and plasma naturally builds up around the leading edges of hypersonic vehicles.)

Natalie

PS: damn! kinglizard beat me to it! oh well....

[Edited on 8-3-2004 by intelgurl]

Originally posted by intelgurl
As far as putting RAM (radar absorbent material) on the skin of a missile, I would think it's possible.

intelgurl,

The diagram says the AGM-129 ACM has low-reflectance paint. Do you know if that is the same as RAM?

I mean a stealth nuke, couldnt this get pased like anything? OR i was thinking mirrors on a nuke so the star wars cant get it

Error Post.

[Edited on 8-3-2004 by Agent47]

this is definitely possible. the russians already have a missile that flies in a zig zag path to avoid anti-missile systems

The zig zag missile is not accurate, (of course if it's a nuke it doesn't necessarily have to be accurate), and although it presents a major if not impossible present-day-technical challenge for a missile to hit it, it is still susceptible to speed of light DEW air defense.

Tracking for the 2 seconds required to incinerate such a missile with a DEW is a challenge - but not a technical impossibility.

Keep in mind that the F-35 will probably get a laser to defend itself from surface to air and air to air munitions... this laser will be able to track, follow and destroy a mach 3 + missile as the F-35 is engaged in high G maneuvers; if this is possible, then a zig zagging icbm reentry vehicle can also be tracked, followed and destroyed.

[Edited on 9-3-2004 by intelgurl]

Originally posted by kinglizard
intelgurl,

The diagram says the AGM-129 ACM has low-reflectance paint. Do you know if that is the same as RAM?

Low reflective paint is one of several kinds of Radar Absorbent Material (RAM), conversely, all RAM is not low reflective paint.