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oblem is the B…2s cost 516 million a pop； so unless you're sending them to Moscow to save the human race； you can't justify risking them on anything else。 A B…2 isn't a battlefield weapon。〃
〃How are these gizmos going to find their targets？〃 Conventional bombers used radar to navigate and locate their targets； but the transmission of a radar beam from a stealth bomber would reveal its location； thereby negating all the expensive technology used to hide it。
Admiral Henry settled onto a park bench with his back to the Tidal Basin。 His eyes roamed the sidewalks； which were deserted on this early…spring morning。 〃You're not going to believe this； but the air force hasn't solved that problem yet。 They're waiting for technology that's under development。〃
Jake Grafton looked at Henry to see if he was serious。 He appeared to be。 〃How about a satellite rig like the A…6G was going to have？ The Navstar Global Positioning System？〃
〃That's part of the plan； but the trouble with satellites is that you can't count on them to last longer than forty…eight hours into a major East…West confrontation。 And there's only eight satellites aloft…the system needs twenty…eight。 If they ever get all the birds aloft it should tell you your position to within sixteen meters anywhere on earth； but that's a big if what with NASA's shuttle and budget problems。 No； I think the answer is going to be a system made up of a solid…state； ring…laser gyro inertial nav system； passive infrared sensors and a stealthy radar； one that powers up only enough to see what's necessary； has automatic frequency agility； that sort of thing。 That's basically the A…6G and B…2 system。 We'll use it on the A…12。 It's still under development。〃
Henry snorted and wiggled his buttocks to get fortable。 〃Congress isn't going to fund any significant B…2 buy。 The way the whole budget process screwed up the buy； with inflation and predictable overruns and underbuys； the last plane in the program is going to cost over a billion bucks。 The manned strategic bomber is going the way of the giant panda and the California condor。 We want to avoid the mistakes the air force made。〃
〃SAC will have more generals than airplanes。〃
〃The stealth concept has been around since World War II；〃 Henry continued； 〃more as a curio than anything else。 It really became a driving force in aircraft design after Vietnam when it became apparent that conventional aircraft were going to have a very rough time surviving in the dense electronic environment over a Western European battlefield。 Conventional electronic warfare can only do so much。 The spooks say there'll be too many frequencies and too many sensors。 That's the conventional wisdom； so it's probably wrong。〃 He shrugged。 〃But any way you cut it； the attrition rate over that battlefield would be high； which favors the Soviets。 They have lots of planes and we can't match them in quantity。 So we would lose。 Ergo； stealth。〃
〃But we could match them in quantity；〃 Jake said。 〃At least the air force could build a lot of cheap airplanes optimized for one mission； like fighter or attack。 No room on carriers for that kind of plane； of course。〃
〃The air force doesn't want that。 Their institutional ethic is for more plex； advanced aircraft with greater and greater capability。 That's the whole irony of the stealth fighter。 They've billed this technology as a big advance but in reality they got a brand…new tactical bomber with 1950s performance。 But； they argue； it's survivable。 Now。 For the immediate future。 Until and only until the Russians e up with a way to find these planes…or someone else figures out a way and the Russians steal it。 Even so； the only thing that made first…generation stealth technology feasible was smart weapons； assuming the crew can find the target。 These planes have little or no capability with air…to…mud dumb bombs。〃 Henry stared at his toes and wriggled them experimentally。 〃Can you imagine risking a five…hundred…million buck airplane to dump a load of thousand…pounders on a bridge？〃
〃Does stealth ensure survivability？〃 Jake prompted； too interested to notice his continuing disfort from the breeze off the river。
〃Well； it all boils down to whether or not you think fixed air bases are survivable in the war the air force is building their planes to fight； and that is a war in Europe against the Soviets which has escalated to a nuclear exchange。 If I were a Russian I wouldn't worry much about these airplanes…neither of which has any off…concrete capability…I'd just knock out their bases at the beginning of hostilities and forget about them。〃
〃What about a conventional war with the Soviets？〃
〃If anyone has figured out a way to keep it from going nuclear； I haven't heard about it。〃
〃How many Maverick missiles are there？ A couple thousand？〃
〃Twice that。〃
〃That's still no more than a week or two's supply。 It'd better be a damn short war。〃
The admiral grunted。 〃The basic dilemma： without stealth technology the air force says planes can't survive over a modern battlefield； with stealth they must use only sophisticated weapons that are too expensive to buy in quantity。 And they're not as reliable as cheap weapons。 And if the airplanes truly are a threat； the Soviets have a tremendous stimulus to escalate the war to a nuclear strike to eliminate their bases。〃 He chopped the air with the cutting edge of his hand。 〃This stuff is grotesquely expensive。〃
〃Sounds like we've priced ourselves out of the war business。〃
〃I fucking wish！ But enough philosophy。 Stealth technology certainly deserves a lot of thought。 It's basically just techniques to lower an aircraft's electromagnetic signature in the military wave…lengths： radio…which is radar…and heat…infrared。 And they're trying to minimize the distance the plane can be detected by ear mid by eye。 Minimizing the RCS…the Radar Cross Section…and the heat signature are the two most important factors and end up driving the design process。 But it's tough。 For example； to half the radar detection range you must lower the RCS by a factor of sixteen…the fourth root。 To lower the BR signature in any meaningful manner you must give up afterburners for your engines and bury the engines inside the airplane to cool the exhaust gases； the sum total of which is less thrust。 Consequently we are led kicking and screaming into the work！ of design promises； which is a handy catchall for mission promises； performance and range and payload promises； bang…and…buck promises。 That's where you e in。〃
Admiral Henry rose from the bench and sauntered along the walk discussing the various methods and techniques that lowered； tittle by tittle； the radar and heat signatures of an aircraft。 He talked about wing and fuselage shape； special materials； paint； engine and inlet duct design and placement； every aspect of aircraft construction。 Stealth； he said； involved them all。 Finally he fell silent and walked along with his shoulders rounded； his hands thrust deep into his pockets。
Jake spoke。 〃If the best the air force could get out of their stealth attack plane was A…7 performance； is it a good idea for the navy to spend billions on one？ We can't go buying airplanes to fight just one war； and