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http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993590
Secret UK stealth plane project revealed
16:18 04 April 03
NewScientist.com news service
All components must join without gaps or edges to ensure low radar observability (Image: BAE Systems)
The existence of a secret programme to produce Britain's own stealth plane has been revealed with the declassification of a single photograph and a short statement.
The craft pictured is full-scale model and was completed in 1999, after five years of work. The £20 million programme, codenamed Replica, was jointly funded by BAE Systems and the UK Ministry of Defence.
Few details have been released, but BAE Systems says Replica was subjected to a "rigorous test programme", which assessed its cross section on radar. This would be key to evaluating whether the craft had "low observability", i.e. stealth. However, it is not known whether systems to reduce its infra-red, acoustic or visual signatures were used.
Replica was never intended to be as difficult to detect as the exotic and extremely expensive pure stealth aircraft such as the US F-117a and B-2. But UK stealth specialists are said to have achieved their goal of striking a balance between low observability and cost. It also demonstrated British expertise in the complex world of stealth technology.
Technology derived from Replica may well filter into future aircraft. These could include the manned and unmanned concept aircraft under consideration as part of the UK's wide-ranging Future Offensive Air System (FOAS) programme. This aims to fill the gap left when the Tornado GR4 strike/attack aircraft is retired. FOAS has a current delivery date of 2017.
A key contributing factor to an aircraft's radar stealth is the precision with its which its components are fabricated and assembled - any radar-reflecting edges or gaps must be avoided.
British engineers tackled this by creating a virtual 3-D aircraft on computer and then using this data directly to control computer-aided manufacturing systems. These, for example, helped produce the carbon-fibre composite panels that make up the aircraft's skin. During assembly, the panels were aligned with the assistance of laser projection.
What happened to the Replica programme after 1999 is not known. But with the deadline fast approaching for the FOAS programme to move from the "concept" to the "assessment phase", analysts would dearly like to know if a prototype of Replica has secretly flown.
David Windle
<img src="http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/9999/99993590F1.JPG" border=0>
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