"muskau" wrote in message . au...

And what about companies such as MiG who have been rumoured to be working on
a non-standard stealth system? I don't know any details, but I am wondering
if it designed to reflect radar away from the listener or if it absorbs the
radar itself?

Sounds like "plasma stealth". I don't believe that's been
demonstrated in any shape or fashion past theory level.

Stealth design is part of the overall package. By its lonesome, a
stealthy airframe can be useful just from the reduced signature, sure,
but it's a one-trick pony just flying along, and that one trick is
self-compromising when releasing weapons since a weapon bay door has
to pop open long enough to release. But combine the stealthy airframe
with tactics and operations that take advantage of the reduced
signature at the same time as using various factors against the
adversary, and you've got a force multiplier that will work under a
much wider range of circumstances. The notion of a lone pair of
F-117s coming over the horizon to put iron on a bunker is simplistic.
The reality is much, much more involved.