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@Alex Tyson great you should just go and read it yourself with no pictures or video representation and let this be the end of it no need to push people around Alex
The afterburner don't only emit infrared. Soot, which reflect radar is even released. This is another reason why supercruise is important. It is actually a much more important feature than most people understand, for several reasons. Please do a video on that topic. Even if a stealth attack is impossible to do in supersonic speed, if not hiding in very low level, things can go wrong and the need for supercruise be essential for surviving. Furthermore, reaching high speed close to the end of the mission, will give the weapons more speed and range, as well as shorten the possible time available for the enemy to react. Talking about stealth. A video about the new Russian 3-band mobile fast deployed anti stealth radars would ve intresting.
Actually not a problem as engine burn cleaner in afterburner. A great example would be the MiG-29 as the only time it's not producing smoke plumes is when in burner. Even with modern "smokeless" engines, you will always see a puff of faint smoke produced when transitioning in and out of afterburner, but not in any other flight regime. Even then, we're talking about particles so small, that weather radars would be the best way to track them as they are used to track moister, debris, and smoke in the event of severe weather. However these systems are not generally used in military applications due to the over abundances of things it picks up. The main problems with afterburners in regards to stealth are the IR signature, but also the nozzle setting opens up gaps that increase the radar signature, and of course the noise. The noise is highly underrated as a modern fighter flying next to a WWII aircraft tends to get drowned out by the prop noise, but once the burner kicks in, you can hear it for miles, and the distance increases with altitude. Out of the factors here, nozzle positioning is the biggest concern. The engine will be stealthiest at mil power, going above or below that regime will expose gaps in the nozzle, and in the case of the Raptor, this is especially true while using thrust vectoring which is why TV is used as a last resort in extremely slow flight regimes, otherwise the flight computer opts not to use it at all.
The funny thing about the F35 and these type craft is that they are definately NOT dogfighters. The F35 is a modern, stealthy Harrier. They are designed specifically to avoid dogfights by being able to send Fox3 missles at air to air targets from 30-50 miles away while never being spotted by awax or on board radars. But if you get one into a turning dogfight, it can be easily defeated by Gen 4 dogfighters. As NATOs rivals get better on board radar, and their own stealth multiroles in theatre, the F35 may become quickly outclassed, like the Harrier of old.
@@the-LeoKnightus Yes but actually no. The F-35 is far more maneuverable than you give it credit for. Another issue is the moment you strap on weapons and fuel tanks performance goes through the gutter on 4th-gen aircraft. This is why even when it was limited to 7Gs with older software packages, it was able to keep up with F-16s very easily that had a typical combat loadout of two external fuel tanks. Even with those fuel tanks the F-35 can carry more fuel internally than the F-16 while retaining better performance due to the fact it doesn't suffer from the aerodynamic penalty.
@@SogenOkami Ahh. The Achilles tendon of the F16. They have a baby range. Thats why despotic nations like Venezuela love em. Their pilots cant take off for Brazil and defect.
A great video! I heard that F-22's pitch-axis thrust vectoring can reduce the plume signature in low thrust - by flattening the plume. It would work a bit like the F-117 , but to a lower extent. A Russian analyst was talking about pros and cons of single-axis vs multi-axis thrust vectoring.
It has less to do with the fact that it has TVC and more just the shape of the nozzles, which are rectangular. Its the only fighter that does that, and it was an independent design decision from the TVC.
Excellent video as usual Millennium 7! A couple tidbits to point out: the F-35's engine (F-135) is higher bypass than any other "fighter" jet engine that I can think of. I would tend to call it kind of a "medium bypass". This limits top speed considerably, but that too is an IR-stealth consideration. It's very fuel efficient compared to it's thrust output. I'd argue that the F-35 is much more designed to fight in an IR-based combat environment than the F-22. The YF-23 would have had much better IR characteristics than the F-22, giving it longer legs in staying ahead of anti-stealth tech. The IRST in the F-35 is omni-directional, worth mentioning compared to other planes which have a limited field of view. The F-4 had some interesting IR characteristics as well, when pulling away from an IR guided missile fired at it from the rear, it's horizontal tail fins helped to obfuscate the exhaust plumes, while simultaneously the angle of the rear H-stabs would cause a lot of cavitation in the exhaust plume, causing it to mix with ambient air better. Alternatively, one could argue that the F-4's tail boom created greater IR signature for ground based enemies. The A-10's solution is ideal vs. shoulder fired IR missiles which tend to be pretty simplistic in sensing ability. But against the long-wave IR sensors, it reflects a lot of engine heat in a way which is kinda unhelpful. The F-117's V-tail also has some unfortunate long/mid band IR characteristics, in that it reflects exhaust heat down at the ground. I think the F-117 prototype version which used an A shaped tail fin arrangement would have been better in terms of IR performance. But it's painted so as to be less reflective, and at that time, most IR sensors were high-band. Another advantage of the F-4/15/18/22/35(and A-10), having "extra" rear mounted tail planes, is that it gives more control leverage vs. the planes center of gravity. To be fair, I think in the F-4/15/18, the IR advantages may not have been the motivation, but rather the control leverage. The A-10 is the first plane which I think might have been "trying" to obfuscate it's exhaust plume. It's possible the A-10 was merely trying to protect the engines from small arms fire into it's openings though. Radar-wise, the A-10 has an enormous RCS, which calls into question whether the IR vs ground enemies was a conscious consideration. For example, the wings hide the fan blades from ground radar, but the straight wings (at 90 degrees to the fuselage), and extensive external ordinance & protruding gun, make it extremely visible on radar anyway. I think they were just trying to protect the engines from physical damage.
@@EthanThomson good point. And it makes sense for the A-10 to be designed to be harder to target with high-band IR shoulder launched anti aircraft missiles. It's very difficult to reliably eliminate those from enemy defenses in SEAD, so CAS would have to be on guard vs. those in particular, even if it's radar signature is huge. I know attack helicopters similarly focus on IR stealth while largely ignoring radar stealth for the same reason.
@@meccadestro3036 only if the topic is extended (by you) to include rotor-craft. since the heli exhaust temp is STILL high, a lot of ir information Still available. in other words, yer comment Lacks Relevance.
many argued that the F22s downfall was being half-assed. Like if they just went through with it and implemented it across the fleet the production cost would've made sense. especially when now we see the flyaway costs of F35s or latest-spec 4++++++++++++++++ gen fighters
@@wiryantirta F-22 is half-assed indeed. It doesn't have a helmet queued high-off-boresight missile locking, feature that some modernized Mig-21s have!
I wonder why he didn't mention it in his video ? When he was talking about cooling fuel, I thought of the boundary layer suction (gauze pads) in front of the intakes as a great place to put fuel coolers. The day he does a YF-23 video will be a instant LIKE from me.
@@antoinelemoine9222 Yeah prototypes are not operational jets which are really used on missions. So nobody would take the risk to talk about It before being finished.
WOW! Another superbly well-researched video about a topic I’ve wanted to know more about for so long but struggled to find info on. The depth of your knowledge on military aviation is extremely impressive. Bravo and thank you!
Look at B2 and YF23 which have tiled exhaust areas which hides heat from below. Also just like for radar IR has countermeasures. The B2 is difficult to see from the front side or rear.
Yet another informative video on a topic in Stealth not well understood compared to radar stealth. Given what we know of the American efforts in this area, I am most curious as to the Russian efforts with the Su-57 and its Izd 30 engine. The nacelle covers and tail cones don't have a F-35 airflow gap but the cooling scoops at the base of the vertical stabilizers does point to something. And then there are the Chinese. Most informative and clearly explained.
@@cannonfodder4376 Yeah surely with their IRST experience they know just how important IR stealth is. Maybe they have a few tricks up their sleeve. Time will tell
If I am not mistaken, weren't the maiden flight of the WS-10B?, they were a great improvement from the A model, but still quite behind, and the WS-10 is platform based on the Saturn AL-31 which is kind of outdated compared to 4++ and 5 gen engines
The Russians basically overlooked or ignored IR signature VLO on the Su-57. Its engine nacelles are not insulated, there are no air ducts, and the nozzles hang out in the breeze. Same for RF VLO. It has some RCS reduction, but not into the VLO category. It's more of a Eurocanard killer than a competitor with the F-22. The Chinese J-20 does have the IR VLO techniques applied to it around the engines if you look especially at the J-20B, which is in production. They suck at making fighter engines though, and are struggling to field a reliable, high performance turbofan even after decades of trying to reverse-engineer samples they acquired from the 1980s.
5:30 I believe that hot spot is from air bleed vent for attitude control. Harrier have 4 such vent, 1 front 1 aft, 1 port and 1starboard. We can see similar hotspot at the empennage and starboard wingtips visible
I remember reading somewhere that the attitude control jets were cold jets, air bled off the engines cold stages. That hot spot in the thermal picture does seem excessively hot though, either for electronics or an attitude jet.
@@trespire when air is compressed and discharge it always heat up, that's just the nature of PV diagram. it is not as hot as the main jet but it is able to reach boiling temperature. Similar hotspot can be seen on the wingtips and tail of the Harrier. Avionics is not that hot, operating temperature of electronics generally sub 100C
@@0Greenwatch0 Harrier have 4 jets but 2 are cold nozzle. You can see the cold nozzle heated up in front of the main hot column. Yak-38 would have a distinct center hot column of the lift jets and 2 side column of the main jet
hey love to hear your take on what the USAF is up to with the sighting of flying F-117's out in NV test ranges over the last few months. There was another sighting of one just last Friday as well.
These days I rarely learn something new from aero videos just a bunch of regurgitation. But I can safely say I learned new things watching this video today and I thank you!
Good stuff. Touching a bit on the trade-offs too! :) I'd say the ability to hide infrared depends more on the capability to use high-resolution sensors and high zoom optics in the scanner. This would be somewhat the equivalent of more powerful and more sensitive radar. To me, the current implementations look to favor aspect over extreme range in a narrow cone. Capability of optics reign supreme. Much like in classical photography.
The YF-23 geometrically hid the exhaust plume and the nozzle far better then any other aircraft. Coupled with the aircrafts highly efficient super cruise capability it truly was revolutionary in IR suppression and would have had a far lower IR emission then either the FA-22 or brand new F-35!
@@dimman77 I’m sure they probably did add to the RCS but not substantially more then any other aircrafts combination of horizontal stabilators and vertical tails! At least with he YF-23 you had to only deal with 1 of those because those two are merged into 1 moving surface per side which had the added benefit of shielding the exhaust trough IR. The YF-23 was the best blend of how to do it by far. The Air Force stated that they chose the YF-22 due to the perceived risk concerns of how the primary contractor Northrop/Grumman would be able to match the contract. Too bad...
The ultimate “green” plane would probably be the ultimate IR stealth plane: a propeller driven, solar powered, large wingspan aircraft. But also terrible for radar stealth.
In a way turboprop aircraft are quite ideal for low-intensity conflicts where an adversary is armed with MANPADS. They procude a MUCH cooler exhaust plume from their engines, and fly at slower speeds so aerodynamic heating isn't an issue.
Good video, but you still didnt talk about the jamming / electronic warfare stealth that much. The Gripen E is almost 100% based on this design. Would be very interesting to know more about and how it compares to other types of stealth.
Electronic warfare is one of the most secret military branches. Only basic principles and older techniques are public knowledge. Generally it doesn't conceal you, frequently it strongly alerts the enemy that something is there, but makes it hard to pinpoint the location by interfering with optimal tracking/guidance.
@@goodputin4324 It is unproven and its capabilities are frequently overrated, but its relatively low operating costs make it a good candidate for smaller, not that wealthy nations.
After my watching, over 20 plus videos of yours... your English is excellent! Most Americans cannot speak techno English. So... what is your native language? My guess is...a Mediterranean country. Greek? .................... A video on thermal stealth! Thank you, no-one, that I know will bring up this subject. Too picky, of a conversation. ............. F-35 engine cold air inlets. I never saw those, before. More info for this aviation tech enthusiast. ................... As others have mentioned... zero political bravado!!!
The F-35 doesn't have one.. it has 7 .. spread over 2 systems. DAS and EOTS. Primary air search is done with DAS as it can see aircraft and missiles to 15 miles in all 360 degrees to the X, Y and Z axis reliably. But EOTS used for ground attack CAN be used for Forward Air Search in the regime not above the F-35 by more than 5 degrees. In the Block 3 software and above, the EOTS and DAS became integrated and can even talk to Block 2 AIM-9X Sidewinder seeker heads in TWO WAY communication, with the Seeker detecting a target and the Aircraft confirming with Either system (automatically with DAS via pilot inspection and Manually with EOTS by the pilot). Edit for clarity, DAS can see aircraft and missiles further than 15 miles, the furthest I know about is a space X launch at 47 miles and a B-1B in full burner at "over 30 miles"... 15 miles is the reliable range for aircraft in any aspect to the DAS sensors.
Yet,smartest animals still evolved to hunt by sound, ultrasound, high low frequency gives Dolphins,Owls 4D image of their pray making them most efficient predators! Obviously Water and Air have different properties as does soil,granit etc. Micro receivers and amps are light-years ahead today then only few years ago, yet nobody is even trying to make sound work for detection...I don't know, but it's awfully quiet, hahaha!
A Royal Australian Air Force exchange pilot flying F-15Cs out of Nellis said he could not get the captive AIM-9X and JHMCS helmet-cued system to acquire or lock onto the F-22 within visual range Fox 2 fights. Said it was the most frustrating fighter he had ever fought against because no matter what you tried, you lose.
The Ju-287 prototype was cobbled together from various aircraft as a technology demonstrator for the forward swept wing. Operational aircraft would have been different, and would have had retractable gear
Fox 1 and 2 missles have trouble tracking. The SU-57 is supposed to be very good at this. Evidently missles lock on, get fired and then go stupid and never track.
wonderful, the real elephant in the room is temperature. i know the a12 and sr71 ranits fuel 9jp70 throughout its chines and possibly leading edges/? however jp7 fuel is/was desighned to be of a low flamability in its nature, and may not suit other aircraft. active refridgeration however, beyond this 9 exept for tthe futurev typhoon perhaps seems problematic.
so these jets..they emit ''heath''? nothing more satisfying than a ''heath bar''.. this would wipe me out! & those front viewer scopes..they aren't centerfold viewers?well,life is really short huh!
Many sources of EM radiation emitted by a vehicle at high speed - radar, heat (IR detection) and sound. Utilizing acoustics to detect mach cones is also of concern but virtually impossible to "mask" (and become stealth). Therefore, easiest to acknowledge little can be done to eliminate the bow wave and realize detection of a mach cone is well behind the vehicles accounting for speed and altitude. Therefore, supercruise and afterburner away from the target zones after an attack as quickly as possible.
All this technology is essentially irrelevant. DEW is the new game. It not only exists, it is used both in the acute and systematic mode literally everyday. Airborne, space borne, ground based, we have it all. Please do a video about DEW weapons, it would surprise a lot of people I think.
I have noticed acantosis nigrocans possibly*, skin tags. Therefore I rule that you are probably insulin resistant and have metabolic syndrome to some degree. Cut the carbs, eat some ruminants, like from now on to the end of time. Live longer to make videos.
Its always a very insightful to here your analysis. I'm no flyer or associated with it. Just the curiousity of knowing about these magnificent machines drives it. Have you heard that HAL is trying to use turbofans in Tejas to generate some power from the wind spead.?🙏
Subscribe, like, and *comment* - let the algorithm know that this channel is engaging so it recommends it to others. Meanwhile, great video again, not much I can to add to that. ☺️👍
Using cold air to cool down the nozzle is not unique to F-35. If you look at Gripen at 14:03 so can you see that it have a double layered nozzle. So not only does the cold air help cool down, but the hot inner nozzle is concealed.
CORRECTIONS: 1. The fuel cooling in the F-35 vertical tail was REMOVED from the design long ago. 2. The tails on F-22/18/35/et cetera aren't placed behind the nozzle for screening, it's for manoeuvrability with force BEYOND the thrust point (aided by canted tails which add horizontal forces) WITH the benefit of MIXING the cold air with the exhaust plume while manoeuvring. Creating a dissipation that "smudges" the plum and increasing the differential signatures between it and Decoy Flares as well as erasing the target track from newer missiles which keep track of the original signal and are decoy resistant.
People who know something are interesting. People who know something that is interesting to me are very interesting. And when these people shares thier knowledge withy me in an interesting way, they er GREAT PEOPLE. Milennium 7* is GREAT. One of my favorites. Thanks for a lot og always great videos
You either forgot to mention or didn't know, that the Spirit's engines' infrared signature has been spotted to be far below what would be expected due to simple positioning. That's because, although entirely unconfirmed, it's stipulated to use an exotic cooling solution consisting of electrically charging the exhaust and utilizing properties of charged air molecules to facilitate heat transfer to specially charged mechanisms with an opposite charge. Supposedly, it's also at the core of one of the myths about the B2 utilizing charged leading edges to help create lift, thereby allowing it a higher capacity and range than would otherwise be possible. Either way, good video.
Super video from someone well informed . Does Aeronautic is your line of work or are you just ultra passionate about the subject? or both. I really enjoy your channel , it make me less stupid... yes, i know, that's not much of a challenge. But anyway , thanks for spending time producing those mini documentaries.
(just watched; had a epiphany) this (new to me) info about ir detection MEANS that the days of the costly development of stealth tech Should be Past. why? even if an aircraft is one hundred percent 'invisible' to radar and ir, the thermal evidence of an aircraft's passage through the atmosphere Cannot be concealed. in fact, maybe the ir detection is ALREADY that good. googletranslate
While using the fuel as a heat sink and than cooling the fuel seems a good idea I think this only realy works for the body of the aircraft especially as ir detectors get more sensitive. I mean it would be a bit difficult to cool the nose the wingtips, the tail or the engine this way. The heat plume is several hundred degrees hot, I dont think one can hide it from these detectors when a modern thermal camera can see a man walking like 10km away. Also those cooling inlets on the 35 should degrade its radar stealth a bit. Dont know if its worth it.
Such a beautiful channel u have sir ! Music is fantastic.could u sir please make vedios on ..I have a few suggestions: The syrain war ,wat lessons the Russian learnt and what we learnt about them documentaries on Koreans and Vietnam war would be fantastic if u could give us some knowledge
