Stealthing of Ordinance

[Franco Lolan]

In another thread, the British Storm Shadow cruise missile was named.
In Tom Clancy's novel Pacific Rising, Japanese PAC-2 batteries are not able to target American B-2 bombers, but are able to target the 2000 lb JDAMs.

Clearly, even though an aircraft may be stealthy, having unstealthy ordinance presents a great risk to the aircraft.

What efforts have been taken and are being taken to lower the radar signature of bombs and missiles?

[HOKUM]

This is a good question, i always thought stealth anti ship missiles would be very effective

[Wraith601]

In another thread, the British Storm Shadow cruise missile was named.
In Tom Clancy's novel Pacific Rising, Japanese PAC-2 batteries are not able to target American B-2 bombers, but are able to target the 2000 lb JDAMs.

Clearly, even though an aircraft may be stealthy, having unstealthy ordinance presents a great risk to the aircraft.

What efforts have been taken and are being taken to lower the radar signature of bombs and missiles?

Do you mean Debt of Honor ?

The US fielded a somewhat stealthy cruise missile for the B-52 during the Cold War, I'll try and dig up a link later.

Also in Clear and Present Danger the US uses a "stealth bomb" to incite dissent among Colombian drug gangs.

[Unipidity]

Well... stealth, as in it leaves no shrapnel. Rather than radar stealthed. Thankfully, not many drug lords are buying Russian radars...

I believe that something IS in the works, as an attempt to make the B-22 a reasonable idea rather than a ****ing stupid one. ie it will carry vast quantities of external ordenance but retain stealth.

[Wraith601]

If I recall the bomb was made of plastic like casing that was not only radar stealthy but also was completely incinerated in the blast. It was a figment of Clancy's imagination as far as I know though.

[Unipidity]

It was just cellulose. And yes, methinks a Clancy only thing.

[Wraith601]

What got me was that even after they were tested successfully in the Colombian operation they were never mentioned again. They would have been useful in some of the situations in his other books.

[The Chap]

C'mon

WWII Mosquito was made out of bloody balsa wood. The only problem here is that you can't make the engine parts of the damn thing out of said. If you can make a turbofan blade out of "cellulose" I will fly over and kiss your left nut. Assuming that it leaves no traces

[Unipidity]

Hmmm. I wonder what kind of performance you could get out of a wooden or at least radar transparent composite airplane. With a prop, presumably. And if you shipped it with a load of liquid N2 to cool it in its terminal parts of the mission. Untargetable airplane?

[The Chap]

I've been away and still no response to that one. Pah!

[The Chap]

Hmmm. I wonder what kind of performance you could get out of a wooden or at least radar transparent composite airplane. With a prop, presumably. And if you shipped it with a load of liquid N2 to cool it in its terminal parts of the mission. Untargetable airplane?

I assume you refer to the 'nam jobby. Smith. mag. did an absolutely charming piece a while back ... ;)

[canoe]

My personal opinion is stealthing ordinance for aircraft/bombers isen't needed. The ordinance is carried internally on steath aircraft and isen't detectable until the moment its deployed.

Sure its in theory possible someone might be able to design and air defence platform that can shoot down incoming GPS guided bombs or missiles however the bombs are extremely cheap and can be dropped in large numbers by heavy bombers. The missiles and the airdefence platform itself are likely to be far more expensive and easily overwelmed if to many targets popup. And typically the U.S doesn't seem to go in with high value aircraft until after air defences have been surpressed anyway.

The one area I think might benifit from it is to have a specific model of long range cruise missile 'stealthed' to make it more difficult to detect.

[sw55]

My personal opinion is stealthing ordinance for aircraft/bombers isen't needed. The ordinance is carried internally on steath aircraft and isen't detectable until the moment its deployed.

Sure its in theory possible someone might be able to design and air defence platform that can shoot down incoming GPS guided bombs or missiles however the bombs are extremely cheap and can be dropped in large numbers by heavy bombers. The missiles and the airdefence platform itself are likely to be far more expensive and easily overwelmed if to many targets popup. And typically the U.S doesn't seem to go in with high value aircraft until after air defences have been surpressed anyway.

The one area I think might benifit from it is to have a specific model of long range cruise missile 'stealthed' to make it more difficult to detect.

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/bomber/acm.htm

Long range cruise missiles of this type are over 10 years old.