How stealthy is stealth?

[Owl]

Mucking about here - editing existing scenarios with various aircraft such as F-117, F-35, F-22 and B-2's and flying them into trouble. Is there a way to know how "invisible" they are? I had F-22's escorting B-2's at one point, they were apparently spotted (the "radar sees you do you want to turn your radar on?" message came up). The B-2's however, wandered in to 4 miles away from a major base with SAM's and CAP and bombed the $*#*@ out of it and flew off unscathed and apparently undetected. Guns (I assume) shot down many of the F-22's (they just died with no apparent reason).
So is there a reasonbly good way to tell how stealthy your stealth planes are? Much like the subs - it'd be really nice to know your own sneekiness!

[CV32]

ORIGINAL: Owl
Mucking about here - editing existing scenarios with various aircraft such as F-117, F-35, F-22 and B-2's and flying them into trouble. Is there a way to know how "invisible" they are? I had F-22's escorting B-2's at one point, they were apparently spotted (the "radar sees you do you want to turn your radar on?" message came up). The B-2's however, wandered in to 4 miles away from a major base with SAM's and CAP and bombed the $*#*@ out of it and flew off unscathed and apparently undetected. Guns (I assume) shot down many of the F-22's (they just died with no apparent reason). So is there a reasonbly good way to tell how stealthy your stealth planes are? Much like the subs - it'd be really nice to know your own sneekiness!

Check out the RCS field in the Platform Editor (PE) if you want to play around with stealth. Of course, this will only reflect platforms present in the EC2003 and Westpac battlesets.

[Weidi72]

I send out 12 F-117 for the 1st wave against libya. Each attack with 2 of them. Only 6 came back. They were flying at night at low alt, no other aircraft near. I think, this shouldn't happen. Next time i will start with a bigger group and fighter escort. My "stealthfighters" should fly to the parking in the desert.[8|]

[CV32]

ORIGINAL: Weidi72
I send out 12 F-117 for the 1st wave against libya. Each attack with 2 of them. Only 6 came back. They were flying at night at low alt, no other aircraft near. I think, this shouldn't happen. Next time i will start with a bigger group and fighter escort. My "stealthfighters" should fly to the parking in the desert.[8|]

Firstly, they aren't really stealth 'fighters' though they have been stuck with the moniker and designation. More like mini stealth bombers. Second, they've rarely been used without plenty of electronic warfare support. Third, they are thus far the only 'stealth' aircraft to have been shot down. [;)]

[Shark7]

Also, flak can bring them down using dumb luck. AAA still works the way it did in WWI. More lead in the air = higher chance to hit something.

[Rebel Yell]

ORIGINAL: Weidi72

...at low alt...

That is likely your problem. [;)]

[NefariousKoel]

ORIGINAL: Rebel Yell

ORIGINAL: Weidi72

...at low alt...

That is likely your problem. [;)]

Yes, which brings me to a question about HCE. Do guns have the max. altitude restrictions for each specific gun type as it did in the tabletop game? I mean - we're not gonna see 20mm guns shooting at an a/c at High altitude, right?

[TonyE]

HCE - 2007.021
==============
- Chg:0000 GE Guns should now adhere to altitude limits in air engagements
               and in point defense. Try 2...
 
 
So, in the release version (2007.000), yes, 20mm will take out Mig-25 at VHigh [:@] but not in the first patch.

[NefariousKoel]

I'm glad that's on the list.[X(]

[Weidi72]

They have been catched over the ocean on the way to the target by some fighters, not by flak.

[hmssirius]

I vaguely remember reading a Dale Brown or Stephen Coonts book where a networked radar system could triangulate a stealth aircraft. Pretty sure it was over Lybia also. Who Knows?

[Shark7]

Well if you fly them during daylight hours, its rather easy to get a visual on them. Course getting a missile lock would be an issue, but guns would be more than adequate to do the job.

[SireChaos]

ORIGINAL: fishhead

I vaguely remember reading a Dale Brown or Stephen Coonts book where a networked radar system could triangulate a stealth aircraft. Pretty sure it was over Lybia also. Who Knows?

James Cobb´s first Amanda Garrett novel features, among other things, networked search aircraft triangulating a stealth destroyer.

[Warhorse64]

ORIGINAL: fishhead

I vaguely remember reading a Dale Brown or Stephen Coonts book where a networked radar system could triangulate a stealth aircraft. Pretty sure it was over Lybia also. Who Knows?

I don't know about Stephen Coonts, but the Dale Brown book had the action over Iran.

[erict]

See this:
 
http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,157743,00.html

[Owl]

Well I can tell ya that the B-2 Spirit bombers are pretty stealthy. In the final scenario of the Pacific battleset I modified it to give me some B-2's and flew them into a well defended interior airfield that had fighter cover - and managed to bomb the base. Several planes were shot down after the attack, and I'm not sure what killed them. I think it was AA guns not missiles but am not sure. I did not get an missile sightings. This was at night - I have learned they are less stealthy in the daytime!

In contrast the F-35 seems to be little more stealthy than an F-15 or F-18. Enemy Flankers seem to have little or no problem finding them and targetting them with their missiles. I have more experimenting to do with them and the few other stealth craft. I want to figure out exactly how they work and when so I can make some scenarios using them!