英語沙龍十年合集珍藏版第三輯Vaunted1) Technology: Stealth2) Avionics3)
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 eventually detect 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
高科技神話：隱形航空電子技術(shù)
諾思羅普-格魯曼公司在自己的網(wǎng)站上吹噓說，“精靈”B-２隱形轟炸機幾乎是看不見的，因為該機的復(fù)合材料和蝙蝠形狀的設(shè)計使其難以被雷達發(fā)現(xiàn)。然而以相同形狀和材料制造的一架F-１１７戰(zhàn)斗機卻于１９９９年在巴爾干半島上空被擊落。隱形技術(shù)絕不是假的。它能縮小飛機在雷達屏幕上的信號特征。假如普通飛機在２００公里以外時在雷達屏幕上形成一個光點，那么隱形飛機要到３４公里時才會在雷達屏幕上顯現(xiàn)。問題是，雷達最終還是會發(fā)現(xiàn)飛機。天氣也會帶來問題。對B －２材料的測試工作是在很少下雨的愛德華茲空軍基地開展的。但當(dāng)該機在巴爾干半島執(zhí)行任務(wù)時，遭到雨淋后，用于填充復(fù)合材料外殼接縫的膠帶往往會松脫，從而擴大了飛機的雷達信號特征。
NOTE 注釋：
1. vaunted [vC:ntid] 自夸的，吹噓的
2. stealth [stelW] n. 秘密行動
3. avionics [7eivi5Cniks] n. 航空電子技術(shù)
4. boast [bEust] v. 自夸，自吹
5. bomber [5bCmE] n. 轟炸機, 轟炸員
6. radar [5reidE] n. 雷達, 電波探測器
7. drenched [drentFt] adj.濕透的
