Why do stealth bombers have the same flat design to them? Why is that shape ideal for staying off radar?

Question

Why do stealth bombers have the same flat design to them? Why is that shape ideal for staying off radar?

Answer 1

It's not just the shape, it's also the materials on the surfaces of the aircraft.  And it actually is not entirely invisible to radar - it just has a very small profile on a radar scope...so small and indistinct that it's often quite hard to identify as an aircraft.

The shape is such that it presents a minimal surface for reflecting radar.  Additionally, the "skin" materials help by reflecting any radar in a haphazard, broken manner - the image seen on the scope may even flicker in and out of view - something "ghost" images and flocks of birds do.  

The aircraft's other advantage is that it's moving very fast as it appears to flicker in and out on the radar screen, making tracking it even more difficult.  That's why, given the limitations of today's radar, a stealth bomber can get in there, deliver the goods (bomb the c**p outa ya) and get itsself gone before you even know you're a bulls-eye.

Not to worry, though: for every super-smart engineer busy designing such airplanes, there's another designing better and better imaging devices that can overcome today's "stealth" technology. and soon these sneaky aircraft will be just as vulnerable to shoot-down as an old World War One Biplane!

Answer 2

Radars work by transmitting a signal and gathering the return energy.  Well that's the 101 version.  But for the radar to get a processable signal, the energy coming back must be as close to 180 degrees out from the transmission as possible. The transmitter and receiver horns are co-located on most radar transmitters-they are coaxial.   In other words, straight line out = straight line back.  What "low-observables" (a better term than stealth because it implies invisibility-which low observable aircraft are NOT) does is refract that energy in just about every direction EXCEPT the direction of the incoming signal.  There are two designs that work best for this:

A faceted "spiky" design:  the F117, or a smoothly contoured few straight edges design: the B2.  These designs were actually stumbled upon by accident during/after WW2.  In Germany the Horten brothers were working on their revolutionary Go229 fighter.  This was a tailless design not unlike the B2.  During static testing, it was noted that radars didn't get a good return from the models.  Right after WW2, the Northrop crew building the XB35/YB49 Flying Wings also noted that radars used to track the prototype had a difficult time gaining a usable return.

It wasn't until some scientists at the USAF Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson AFB OH discovered a paper written by a Russian physicist describing the equations needed to reproduce this effect reliably, that serious development began of a specifically low-observable aircraft.  These equations, and some timely research by the British, led to the F117.

Finally the shape is also ideal to minimize IR signature, visual signature (a four-dollar word to say "it's hard to see at altitude), and even acoustic signature.

Answer 3

The angles and flat panels help break up the radar return so it looks smaller on the radar return.

Answer 4

The same?

There are three "stealth" aircrafts in existence the F-117, B-2 and the Raptor. There is nothing similar about these three in shape.

Design of a radar evading aircraft has a lot to do with Pyotr Ufimtsev equations that predict the reflection of the radar signals. These aircrafts are designed such that they minimize the echo towards the source radar signal.

Answer 5

the shape hepls the ship go faster since its aerodynamic

Answer 6

radar works like throwing a bucket of water at something, then catching whatever is deflected back. more jagged surfaces deflect the water away from the source and scatter it in different directions.

the flat design of the stealth bomber is simply a structural thing to support the engines as well as the weight of the payload (which would normally require a very large craft) without making the bomber a huge target for radar. the whole plane acts as a wing.

Answer 7

bing bing andy's right. It acts like a flat mirror, if you shine a laser in a mirror at yourself, the laser will still be small, but if you shine a laser at a rounded mirror (like a average plane) the laser would return much much bigger, easily detected.

ahahahah stephen

Answer 8

Yes, It's about the angles of the aircraft and the material of the plane.

Also if some guy named Daryl, if he's driving nobody will notice!

Answer 9

crazy angles to bounce radar signals away from the reciever.

Answer 10

its not really the flat design although that contributes somewhat yet the sharp angle the reflect radars beams in different directions rather than to the source deeming the object stealth

Answer 11

I think it helps it with its looks.

Answer 12

That's not all it is, but yeah.

A bunch of protrusions is going to deflect waves of any type in many more directions.

Answer 13

because the angles in the aircraft do not reflect the radar waves  

back to the receiver.  This means that the radar system can't see it.