Maintenance costs

To achieve stealth capabilities, fighter jets often employ special aerodynamic designs, extensive use of composite materials in the construction of their airframes, and stealth coatings. These special technologies are all very expensive.

According to a report by the US Budget Committee, the cost of repairing and maintaining the F-22 and F-35 aircraft lines has significantly exceeded the budget, due to problems related to stealth coating.

Different from conventional aircraft paints, the stealth coating for the 5th generation aircraft of the US applies many special technologies in mixing and coating environment.

Meanwhile, in hot and humid real-life combat environments, many F-22 and F-35 aircraft have been found to have their stealth coating peeled off, or the coating has eroded rapidly in harsh weather. The cost of each recoating of a fifth-generation aircraft is up to millions of dollars and requires a special thermal environment to stabilize the coating.

Trade-off

Another problem that fifth-generation aircraft have to sacrifice for stealth is that they are designed to operate in a very narrow mission range. Limitations in internal weapons bays and fuel weight significantly reduce the range of stealth aircraft compared to traditional fourth-generation fighters.

To increase range and firepower, fifth-generation aircraft must carry external fuel tanks and weapons, but will significantly reduce or even lose stealth capabilities. Lockheed Martin has introduced the “beast mode” of the F-35 aircraft, sacrificing stealth capabilities to maximize firepower and range.

These aircraft must operate at an optimal speed range, often subsonic, and minimize sudden accelerations that can cause the stealth coating to peel off when it encounters air. In addition, the aircraft also avoids using radar to limit the signal exposure to enemy electromagnetic reconnaissance systems.

Limit

International military experts believe that fifth-generation aircraft could achieve stealth capabilities in the early 2000s. However, this capability is being significantly reduced with the advancement of modern radar and air defense missile technology. Although they have never directly clashed on the battlefield, the frequency-inverter radar technology and multi-mode seeker systems on modern air defense missile complexes such as the S-400 and S-500 can cause fifth-generation fighters to lose their advertised stealth capabilities.

Stealth technology may work well in high-power, short-wave radar bands, but it is less effective in long-wave or multispectral radar bands. There have been numerous examples of fifth-generation fighters like the F-35 being detected not only by military surveillance radars, but also by civilian radars.

With the lessons learned from the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program, many countries are reconsidering their ambitions to develop future fighter jets, with stealth capabilities no longer being a top priority. With the current technological foundation, using resources to develop and manufacture 4++ generation fighter jets brings greater benefits.

(Synthetic)

Plasma stealth technology helps fighter jets become 'invisible' to radar . Upcoming Chinese fighter jets will be equipped with the latest plasma stealth technology developed by Chinese engineers.