Indian Stealth

India is the
third country in the world, after the US
and France, to have a stealth bomber
fighter aircraft in its armoury. The Kolkata-based Indian Association
for Cultivation of Science (IACS) has
developed a technology to convert
ordinary light combat aircraft into
stealth jets that would go undetected
on radar. The first stage of the experiment, which commenced in
1999, has been successfully
concluded. The defence ministry has
approved the technology and has
given the go-ahead for "full-scale
production" to begin. It is expected to start in about six months? time. According to IACS scientists associated
with the project, the technology uses a
special material to construct a shield
on the plexi-glass canopies. It is the
glass cover of the pit that usually
betrays the presence of an aircraft as it reflects the laser beam that is emitted
to catch them on the radar. The shield
will cover the pit and deflect the laser
beam on the shield in all directions. "This will make sure the aircraft
remains undetected on the radar. We
are not sure if the same technology is
used in France and the US. It has been
developed in our own way and using
our own techniques. If it works out well, this would be a big step for
defence technology in India," said a
scientist. Defence officials said the advanced
combat aircraft made in the US and
France have a similar shield on the
plexi-glass canopies. "This shield
gives the canopies a golden tinge. This
special layer scatters the laser beams emitted from a radar site either on the
ground or in the air (AWACS). We?ve
been trying to develop this technology
for some time. The shield developed
by IACS will boost our indigenisation
efforts," an official said. During the exercises at Kalaikunda
where US F-16s took part, IAF officials
got a closer look at the gold-tinted
canopies. They also got a chance to
test the technique by using ground-
based radar. Interestingly, the F-16s from Singapore did not have the shield
as the technology has not been
transferred. The defence authorities were so
impressed with the new technology
that they decided to fast-track the
process and start full-scale production
of the canopy following a test at
Jodhpur recently. "They had the option of going for a
pilot project initially but they chose to
skip it," said an IACS official. Fighter
jets like Jaguars, MiGs, Mirages and
Sukhois will now be fitted with this
special canopy to enhance their stealth capabilities