[AnotherUnixGeek]

I think I have had enough of the extreme liberal views of the Daily Beast today.

Well, they're making a statement which should be testable - that the F-35 is not stealthy to Chinese and Russian radar. So is it or is it not? Asking whether incredibly expensive weapons systems actually do the job they're designed for is always a good question, no matter who poses it.

[Gaffer]

Most long range air defense search radars operate in the L,S and C bands (1-2,2-4, and 4-8 GHz). Air/Air and Target Track/Fire Control radars are generally in the X band (8-12GHz). These radars are what the term ‘stealth fighter’ was designed for. RF absorption coatings, fuselage shaping, etc. are more effective there because of smaller wavelengths and better effectiveness of the coatings.

When you get to radars with wavelengths that are larger than the aircraft itself, about the only thing you can control the reflections with is absorption - the coatings if there are any, and at that frequency, the effectiveness of the coatings is not very good.