Stealth planes have been the jewels in the crown of modern air forces for a long time, being designed to penetrate enemy defenses without being detected, and then to strike. Nevertheless, the current allegations connected with the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran have questioned such an image. Several reports from Tehran are claiming that, among others, Israeli F-35I Adir aircraft were downed and their pilots captured. The accounts are put forth as being sensational; however, the experts in the field of defense know that the truth is often more intricate. Stealth is a mighty weapon, but it has its bounds—it is not invisibility.
The basis of stealth is a hybrid of design selections, special materials, and a few tricks. The F-117 Nighthawk, for instance, was constructed with the application of the geometrical surfaces to repel the radar signals, resulting in a radar return that was not bigger than a small bird. The step was very significant when compared to the likes of the F-15, as the latter has a radar cross-sectional area the size of a house. Subsequent bombers, such as the B-2 Spirit, had been taking the research even further by using the flying wing configuration to diminish their silhouette despite the giant volume. The engineers, in their attempts to “hide” the most reflective surfaces from the radar, did the same thing with the F-22 Raptor as they covered the engine with a curved duct.
Just as important are the materials. The F-35 Lightning II, for instance, counts on the use of very sophisticated radar-absorbent coatings that break down the incoming signal into tiny heat particles instead of reflecting it. With this technology, their radar signature is compared to that of a small insect. However, the development of such capabilities is extremely costly. Any flight hour is probably followed by hours of hard maintenance work, and degradation due to battle or weather can reduce the efficiency considerably. At the same time, new detection methods like passive radar are sometimes able to spot stealth aircraft even when they are in perfect condition.
Technology on its own is never sufficient. The best results from the use of stealth technology in a pilot’s hands come from clever flying. Very often, it involves flying low, rolling under the radar, and counting on the help of other planes like AWACS for communications and target data. During the Gulf War, F-117s would very often be only a few hundred feet above the ground and would use the terrain and the clutter to hide their approach. Timing, speed, and altitude all have to be carefully balanced, requiring crews to be precise and disciplined.
Nevertheless, being difficult to find doesn’t mean that one is completely safe. The only instance when a stealth aircraft was shot down is the 1999 event of the F-117 being lost over Serbia. The shutdown was not accomplished by using new technology, but by an old radar system, which was used in an innovative way to track flight routes and guess their movements. That event is most often used as an example of stealth being an opportunity, not a guarantee of safety.
Moreover, it is for this reason that skeptics have greeted Iran’s sweeping assertions. Iran’s officials do claim that several F-35s have crashed, and pilots were taken hostage. But so far, no truthful pictures, satellite images, or offhand confirmations have sprung up. In the absence thereof, the reports are seen as nonconfirmed and, to a large extent, by many eyes, highly questionable.
The military standpoint is that Iran’s air defense system is not that strong, especially after a few years of Israeli targeted killing of radar stations. What the critics claim is that such systems cannot, in any current situation, reliably track and engage advanced jets like the F-35.
What is quite visible is that the fight for the audience’s beliefs is as violent as the actual battle in the skies. Images that have been distributed widely are now revealed to be old photos, digitally altered, or even video game-like scenes and, therefore, cannot be true showings of the wrecked F-35s or captured aircrew.
Without any concrete proof, rumors still exist, but they fall into the category of eventual myths. Israeli officials have always been strong in their denial of the loss of their aircraft, and the accusations are, according to them, a mere play of the enemy to boost their morale in times of defeat.
Now the question is: Could the F-35 be shot down? The truth is that none of the aircraft is as far as it is beyond the reach of the foe. However, due to the combination of stealth shaping, materials, and tactical doctrine, the chances of such an occurrence are very small.
History has been a teacher of the fact that vulnerabilities will still be there, especially when the enemy learns the patterns or uses the new detection methods. For the time being, though, the F-35 is one of the most difficult aircraft in the world to target, and the stealth development brings in the future even more advanced means.