Russia Develops Stealth Aircraft

Russia Develops Stealth Aircraft Using Plasma Screen Technology

Russia Claims it has a new radar defeating stealth technology. The principle behind it is to create a plasma cloud that surrounds the aircraft.  The plasma cloud would then dissipate all the energy of the radar.  

The Russian aircraft industry has developed and will soon start producing stealth aircraft which will radically differ from existing U.S. models. The Russian version uses plasma screens to cushion and disperse radar waves, the Novye Izvestia daily reports.

the new technology employs a different physical principle than the one currently used by existing U.S. stealth aircraft — the F-117 and B-2. Instead of reflecting the radar wave the Russian technology completely disperses it by means of a plasma screen created by a mobile plasma generator.

The generator is small and light. The device emits powerful electron beams that ionize the air around the aircraft effectively creating a plasma cloud around it.  Koroteyev added that the new technology can be used on any aircraft, including older models and that it is radically cheaper than the technology employed by U.S. stealth planes while being just as effective, if not more so. He said that the aircraft equipped with the Russian system will also be far superior to U.S. models in their flight and combat capabilities — as the use of the plasma screen makes it unnecessary to alter the shape of the aircraft.

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The advantages a system like this offers is that it could be retro fitted to all aircraft in a country’s inventory making each one a stealth bomber or fighter.  Performance of the aircraft would not have to be sacrificed in order to have stealth characteristics.  Imagine Russia, Iran or China being able to launch an air strike that US radar would not be able to detect.  Not only would interception time be reduced or eliminated the AIM-7 Sparrow, AIM-120 AMRAM (Slammer) and AIM-54 Phoenix (now retired) radar guided missiles would be ineffective as they would be able to lock on.  Fighter pilots that acquired their targets visually as in WWII would have to use Short range heat seeking missiles or guns to make the kill.  The net effect of the loss of radar would make dog fighting a very important skill for pilots and open countries up for attack without warning.  

If the plasma screen were fitted onto ICBMs it would make nuclear attack more likely as the launch could only be detected by thermal bloom on infrared satellites and again, radar kills of inbound missiles would be ineffective.  It is doubtful that a pilot could eyeball an inbound warhead and hit it with guns or even a heat seeker.  

IF this system is indeed feasible and is able to be produced in large numbers and works as advertised, it will indeed be a mile stone in warfare.