Radar absorbing materials and their potential use in aircraft structures

The whole aim of the development of radar absorbing materials (RAM) is concealment, essentially reducing the radar cross-section (RCS) of the vehicle. There are a number of different methods available to protect a vehicle and reduce the RCS. These include altering the shape of the vehicle, applying the RAM to the external surface (parasitic RAM), internally if the outer material is radar transparent (internal RAM), or as an integral part of the structure (integral structure RAM). Each of these approaches has its advantages and disadvantages