Stealth Helicopters: Why Hasn’t This Idea ‘Taken Off’?
ByHarrison KassPublished2 hours ago
Stealth technology is very much in fashion. Modern aircraft designers basically treat stealth as a prerequisite for any new fighter or bomber design. Since the 1980s, each new U.S. fighter and bomber has included stealth with aircraft such as the F-117 Nighthawk, B-2 Spirit, F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, and the forthcoming B-21 Raider.
U.S. military rivals are rushing to catch up, designing and producing their own stealth aircraft. China’s stealth efforts have manifested in the Chengdu J-20 fighter. About 50 J-20s have been produced so far, meaning China has a viable fleet of stealth fighters. Russia has also invested its finite resources into stealth technology, producing the Su-57 fighter (a CGI version of which was just featured in Top Gun: Maverick).
Why are countries scrambling to field fleets of stealth aircraft? Because modern air defense systems are so capable that non-stealth aircraft are roughly incapable of surviving in contested airspaces. Meaning if an enemy’s air defenses are intact, non-stealth aircraft are at ultra-high risk of being shot down and are unlikely to be effective – which means those non-stealth aircraft are unlikely to convert contested air space into secured airspace. Said another way, countries need stealth aircraft to gain air superiority in territories where sophisticated air defense systems are entrenched.
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/11/stealth-helicopters-why-hasnt-this-idea-taken-off/
