Fall 2006 - Air & Space Power Chronicle - Air Force Link

70 AIR & SPACE POWER JOURNAL FALL 2006systems. Still, the nascent technology allowedonly moderately reduced signatures via shapeblending and the use of radar-absorbent materials.Early low observable (LO) drones andaircraft such as the A-12 (and later the SR-71)still needed to rely on speed, overflight, andelectronic countermeasures to ensure survivability.Later, ground-breaking research byGerman and Soviet physicists Arnold Sommerfeldand Pyotr Ufimtsev, respectively, greatlyadvanced the science by enhancing the understandingof radar’s reaction to simple shapes.However, American practicality embodied inBill Schroeder’s finite, two-dimensionally surfacedaircraft models and Denys Overholser’scomputer simulations was required to allowLockheed to design the first aircraft completelyreliant on stealth. 1 By early 1983, theworld’s first modern LO aircraft—the F-117ANighthawk—was ready for war. 2Since then, LO technology has shown itsworth a number of times. Although importantto the air campaign in Operation Iraqi Freedom,it proved decisive in theaters with robustIntegrated Air Defense Systems (IADS), asdemonstrated in Operations Desert Storm andAllied Force. However, the battlefield continuesto become more dangerous with the steadyproliferation of highly lethal surface-to-airmissile (SAM) systems and the linking ofhighly capable radar systems via expansive, oftenautomated, communication systems to ensurethe sharing of target information acrossthe shooter network. Of particular concernare China and Iran, potential adversaries interestedin aggressively upgrading their defensivesystems.Recognizing these emerging threats andthe inherent merit of LO technology, the AirForce made a significant investment in the B-2Spirit bomber. When the Spirit became operationalin 1997, it joined a tiny pool of limitedproductionstrike assets dedicated to penetratingan IADS rather than beating it back. Today,the bulk of the LO force consists of about 50F-117As and 21 B-2s, buttressed by an emergingF-22 fleet. Program Budget Decision (PBD)720, however, demands the retirement of 10Nighthawks in fiscal year (FY) 2007 and theremainder of them in FY 2008. 3 If PBD 720becomes law, the majority of the Air Force’sLO strike force would exit the field, leavingonly a small group of aircraft for missions requiringsurprise through stealth. Cutting 50 ofthe country’s dedicated LO strike assets whileit faces potentially hostile, well-armed nationsis risky—and may have profound effects. Ifconfronted with a mature and aggressiveIADS, the Air Force may discover that it hascompromised combat capability by allowing astealth gap to develop. Potentially, the UnitedStates may find itself unable to enforce its willin areas of vital interest.Even though the service has embraced LOtechnology and plans to field a host of followonstealthy combat aircraft, nearly a decadewill pass before they can replace the venerable,proven Nighthawk. Even when this new generationof aircraft reaches the front lines,many of their capabilities won’t match thosecurrently resident in the F-117. Furthermore,the Nighthawk’s unique capabilities can helpenable the Global Strike Task Force (GSTF)concept. This article contends that a stealthgap exists and that the F-117 could fill it. Italso demonstrates how minimal fiscal outlayson F-117 upgrades could not only help addressthis problem but also support the goal ofimplementing the GSTF concept.Current and Future CapabilitiesLike chaff, electronic countermeasures,improved maneuverability, or expansive flightenvelopes, stealth technology is just anothertool that allows an aircraft to survive its approachto and egress from a target. Othermethods achieve the same outcome, but allbenefit from stealth. Rather than treatingstealth as a strap-on package, one must give itconsideration during every step of aircraft development.By all accounts, the F-15E is a superbaircraft, but no modification can make itstealthy; rather, one needs an entirely new design.This fact has spawned the next generationof LO aircraft and weapons, including the F-22,F-35, and AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface StandoffMissile (JASSM) to complement our tinyarsenal of B-2s and F-117s.