Aiming for awesome: Stealth

2008 - 2018 Stealth

The aim of this resource is to give students the opportunity to investigate the impact of STEM on making stealth vehicles.

Stealth is the ability to evade detection by radar, infrared sensors or emission interception.  Stealth provides greater survivability, and makes it easier for aircraft to operate in contested areas without being detected.

This resource will allow students to understand about how things can go undetected: not just aircraft but animals too!  They will look at colours and filters and radar detection systems.

Duration

The activities are expected to last 60 minutes.

What you'll need

The following items per student:

• Coloured filters
• Torch
• Aircraft cut outs
• Square or graph paper

Student activities

Lightning and camouflage

Time to investigate 1: students will explore how different colours are made, and what white light is made up of. 

Stretch and challenge: students should use filters to work out how to make the secondary colours of light.

Radar detection

Time to investigate 2: students should investigate how the size and shape of an aircraft is an important consideration to avoid detection and write the method of their investigation, discuss variables and record results on a table.