Aircrafttotal Encyclopedia

Stealth aircraft

Stealth aircraft are designed to avoid detection by radar, infrared, sound and sight — from Have Blue and the F-117 Nighthawk to the F-35, the B-21 Raider and the next generation of fighters.

34stealth aircraft
5groups
1962–2024first flight
10countries

About stealth aircraft

Stealth aircraft are designed to avoid detection using a variety of technologies that reduce the reflection and emission of radar, infrared, visible light, radio signals and sound. Their shape sends radar waves away from the radar, radar-absorbing materials cover the skin, weapons are carried inside the aircraft and the engines are hidden deep in the fuselage.

Full-size stealth combat aircraft demonstrators have been flown by the United States (in 1977), Russia (in 2000) and China (in 2011). The Lockheed Have Blue led to the F-117 Nighthawk, the first operational stealth aircraft, followed by the B-2 Spirit bomber and the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II fighters. Today stealth is also used for drones, stealth aircraft and the sixth-generation fighters of the future.

BQ 1962 Prototypes & demonstrators Boeing Quiet Bird One of the first aircraft designed for a low radar return Boeing · United States→
LS 1964 Stealth bombers & reconnaissance Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird The fastest air-breathing crewed aircraft Lockheed Skunk Works · United States→
LH 1977 Prototypes & demonstrators Lockheed Have Blue The first full-size stealth demonstrator Lockheed Skunk Works · United States→
LF 1981 Stealth bombers & reconnaissance Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk The first operational stealth aircraft Lockheed Skunk Works · United States→
NT 1982 Prototypes & demonstrators Northrop Tacit Blue Demonstrator for curved stealth surfaces and a stealthy battlefield radar; its lessons went into the B-2. Northrop · United States→
NB 1989 Stealth bombers & reconnaissance Northrop B-2 Spirit Flying-wing stealth bomber that can reach targets anywhere in the world with air refuelling. Northrop Grumman · United States→
NY 1990 Stealth fighters Northrop YF-23 Black Widow II Competitor of the YF-22 in the Advanced Tactical Fighter program; faster and stealthier, but not chosen. Northrop / McDonnell Douglas · United States→
BB 1996 Prototypes & demonstrators Boeing Bird of Prey Secret demonstrator with a stealthy shape, flown from 1996 to 1999 and revealed in 2002. Boeing Phantom Works · United States→
BR 1996 Stealth helicopters Boeing–Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche The first stealth helicopter Boeing / Sikorsky · United States→
LM 1997 Stealth fighters Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor The first operational fifth-generation fighter Lockheed Martin / Boeing · United States→
MD 1997 Prototypes & demonstrators McDonnell Douglas X-36 Remotely piloted research aircraft without tail fins, for more stealth and agility. McDonnell Douglas / NASA · United States→
SS 1997 Prototypes & demonstrators Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut Experimental fighter with forward-swept wings, used to test technology for later Russian fighters. Sukhoi · Russia→
BX 2000 Stealth fighters Boeing X-32 Boeing's entry in the Joint Strike Fighter competition, which was won by the Lockheed Martin X-35 (F-35). Boeing · United States→
LM 2006 Stealth fighters Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II The most-produced stealth aircraft Lockheed Martin · United States→
LM 2007 Stealth drones Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel Flying-wing stealth reconnaissance drone of the US Air Force, nicknamed "the Beast of Kandahar". Lockheed Skunk Works · United States→
SS 2010 Stealth fighters Sukhoi Su-57 Russia's first stealth fighter, a twin-engined fighter with thrust vectoring. Sukhoi · Russia→
CJ 2011 Stealth fighters Chengdu J-20 China's first operational stealth fighter, a large twin-engined fighter with canards. Chengdu Aircraft · China→
NG 2011 Stealth drones Northrop Grumman X-47B The first drone to take off from and land on an aircraft carrier Northrop Grumman · United States→
SJ 2012 Stealth fighters Shenyang J-35 Twin-engined medium stealth fighter, developed from the FC-31 (J-31) for the Chinese Navy and Air Force. Shenyang Aircraft · China→
DN 2012 Stealth drones Dassault nEUROn European stealth combat drone demonstrator, led by Dassault with partners from Italy, Sweden, Spain, Greece and Switzerland. Dassault Aviation · France (Europe)→
BS 2013 Stealth drones BAE Systems Taranis British stealth combat drone demonstrator, named after the Celtic god of thunder. BAE Systems · United Kingdom→
KX 2019 Stealth drones Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie Low-cost "loyal wingman" drone that can fly together with crewed fighters. Kratos Defense · United States→
BM 2019 Stealth drones Boeing MQ-25 Stingray Unmanned air-refuelling aircraft for US Navy aircraft carriers. Boeing · United States→
KK 2022 Stealth fighters KAI KF-21 Boramae South Korean twin-engined fighter with a stealthy shape, designed to grow into a full stealth fighter. Korea Aerospace Industries · South Korea→
NG 2023 Stealth bombers & reconnaissance Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider The new flying-wing stealth bomber of the US Air Force, successor of the B-1 and B-2. Northrop Grumman · United States→
TK 2024 Stealth fighters TAI Kaan Turkish fifth-generation twin-engined stealth fighter, first flown in February 2024. Turkish Aerospace · Turkey→
SC 2024 Prototypes & demonstrators Scaled Composites Model 437 Vanguard Demonstrator for a low-cost, long-range stealthy combat aircraft that can fly with or without a pilot. Scaled Composites / Northrop Grumman · United States→
BF Stealth fighters Boeing F-47 The US Air Force Next Generation Air Dominance fighter, successor of the F-22 Raptor. Boeing · United States→
GB Stealth fighters GCAP / BAE Tempest British-Italian-Japanese sixth-generation fighter program (Global Combat Air Programme), planned for 2035. BAE Systems / Leonardo / Mitsubishi · United Kingdom / Italy / Japan→
LM Stealth bombers & reconnaissance Lockheed Martin SR-72 Proposed hypersonic successor of the SR-71 Blackbird. Lockheed Skunk Works · United States→
EM Prototypes & demonstrators EADS Mako / HEAT European concept for a supersonic trainer and light combat aircraft with a stealthy shape; never built. EADS · Europe→
SS Stealth helicopters Sikorsky stealth Black Hawk Secret modified Black Hawk with a low-noise, low-radar shape, used in the 2011 raid on Abbottabad. Sikorsky · United States→
SR Stealth helicopters Sikorsky Raider X Compound helicopter with coaxial rotors and a pusher propeller for the US Army FARA program. Sikorsky · United States→
B3 Stealth helicopters Bell 360 Invictus Bell's entry for the US Army FARA program, with a stealthy shape and internal weapons. Bell Textron · United States→