Plasma Stealth
Russian Low Observability Technologies Data Released
Moscow, January 20, 1999. Nicolai Novichkov, ITAR-TASS information agency
Research team of the Recearch Center named after M.V. Keldysh
has developed new technologies allowing dramatic decrease in
aircrafts' radar observability.
Russian approach to low
observability (LO) technologies is completely different from US
Stealth and offers complete furtiveness of the protected object
at a significantly lower price.
An exclusive interview about these technologies was conducted by Nicolai Novichkov, ITAR-TASS
with director of the Center, academic of Russian Scientific
Academy Anatoliy Korteev.
As academic explained, American approach to LO (Stealth
technology) applied on B-2, F-117A, and fifth generation fighter
F-22 "Raptor" is based on the following principles.
The airframes of these aircrafts are designed to minimize their
radar cross section (RCS), avoid all possible elements of the
structure, which could reflect electromagnetic radiation.
In order to minimize reflected radiation radio absorbing materials
(RAM) are also applied to the surface of the structure. The main
drawbacks of the Stealth technology are its negative effects on
the flight and agility characteristics of the stealth aircrafts.
Russian scientists approach the issue from the other direction.
They proposed to create a plasma formation around protected
object, which prevents radars from seeing it.
Thus,aerodynamical characteristics of the plane itself do not suffer.
Without interfereing with technical characteristics the
artificially created plasma cloud surrounding the plane
guarantees more than hundred times decrease in its
observability.
The physics of plasma protection can be described as following.
If an object is surrounded by a cloud of plasma, several
phenomenas are observed when the cloud interacts with
electromagnetic waves radiated by enemy radar.
First, an absorption of electromagnetic energy occurs in the cloud, since
during plasma penetration it interacts with plasma charged
particles, pass onto them a portion of its energy, and fades.
Second, due to specific physical processes, electromagnetic wave
tends to pass around plasma cloud. Both of these phenomenas
results in dramatic decrease of the reflected signal.
Static and flight experiments proved the effectiveness of this
technology. The first generation devices, producing plasma field
surrounding an aircraft and decreasing reflected signal were
created in the Center. Later, a possibily of creating second
generation advanced systems (capable of not only decreasing
reflected signal and changing its wavelength, but also producing
some false signals) was discovered.
Such systems significantly
complicate determination of actual aircraft's speed, its
location and leads to development of completely new approaches
to LO provision, unachievable to conventional Stealth
technology.
Furthermore, the weight of the systems developed in
Russia do not exeed 100 kg, and power consumption ranges from
kilowatts to tens of kilowatts.
Advances in development of the third generation LO systems allowed to clear the systems of first and second generation for export, commented academic Anatoliy Korteev.
26/01/99
(c) ITAR-TASS,
Translation by Philip Kaploun.
NOTE:
Article From VirtuallyStrange.net, origionally from the UFOmind.com Mailing list
