Vaunted1) Technology: Stealth2) Avionics3)
Northrop Grumman Corp.(NGC)boasts4) on its Web site the B-2spirit stealth
bomber5) is nearly invisible.Because the plane's composite materials and bat-shaped design make it hard for radar6) to pick up.However,in 1999,an F-117,which also has a stealthy shape and materials,was blasted out of the sky over the Balkans.Stealth technology is hardly a sham.It shrinks the radar"signature"of a plane.If a
conventional aircraft makes a blip on radar screens at 200kilometers,a stealthy plane wouldn' t appear until it was 34km away.The point is,radar does
eventuallydetect the plane.Weather can also present a problem.The B-2's materials were tested at Edwards Air Force Base,where it rarely rains.But when the high-tech
bombers got drenched7) during missions in the Balkans,the tape used to fill seams in the composite skin often came loose.That en larges the radar signature.
□by Stan Crock
高科技神话:隐形航空电子技术
诺思罗普-格鲁曼公司在自己的网站上吹嘘说,"精灵"B-2隐形轰炸机几乎是看不见的,因为该机的复合材料和蝙蝠形状的设计使其难以被雷达发现。然而以相同形状和材料制造的一架F-117战斗机却于1999年在巴尔干半岛上空被击落。隐形技术绝不是假的。它能缩小飞机在雷达屏幕上的信号特征。假如普通飞机在200公里以外时在雷达屏幕上形成一个光点,那么隐形飞机要到34公里时才会在雷达屏幕上显现。问题是,雷达最终还是会发现飞机。天气也会带来问题。对B -2材料的测试工作是在很少下雨的爱德华兹空军基地开展的。但当该机在巴尔干半岛执行任务时,遭到雨淋后,用于填充复合材料外壳接缝的胶带往往会松脱,从而扩大了飞机的雷达信号特征。
NOTE 注释:
1. vaunted 自夸的,吹嘘的
2. stealth n. 秘密行动
3. avionics n. 航空电子技术
4. boast v. 自夸,自吹
5.
bomber n. 轰炸机, 轰炸员
6. radar n. 雷达, 电波探测器
7. drenched adj.湿透的
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