This strange mod to the F-35 kills its stealth near Russian defenses — and there’s good reason for that
When the F-35 flies over friendly countries for overseas deployments, you may notice some strange tags on the body of the otherwise sleek jet.
Every angle and surface of the F-35 has been precisely machined to baffle radar waves, so little notches like the ones on the picture above would defeat the purpose of the weapons system that has cost about $400 billion so far.
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When the F-35 flies over friendly countries for overseas deployments, you may notice some strange tags on the body of the otherwise sleek jet.
Every angle and surface of the F-35 has been precisely machined to baffle radar waves, so little notches like the ones on the picture above would defeat the purpose of the weapons system that has cost about $400 billion so far.
Here’s the Marine Corps‘ F-35B flying clean:
An F-35Bs taking off from the USS America. Lockheed Martin
The notches, which are called Luneberg reflectors, serve a purpose. The reflectors increase the F-35’s radar signature several hundred times over so that a plane that would normally be nearly impossible for civilian air traffic controllers to spot would give off a big, safe blip.
Perhaps the F-35B above didn’t need the reflectors because it took off from the sea, away from potential spotters.
Read the whole story from Business Insider.
Featured image courtesy of Lockheed Martin
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