Do stealth airplanes need to limit contrail generation?
Do stealth airplanes need to limit contrail generation?


Not just stealth aircraft, most military aircraft are required to avoid contrails. Contrails form due to moisture in the aircraft's exhaust. A tried and tested method by NASA is NOT to fly in regions of air that support contrail formation.

Ophir's Pilot Alert System which is used by the B-2 stealth bomber uses LIDAR (light detection and ranging) to differentiate contrails from clouds and tells the pilot to change his altitude as/when necessary.

That being said, it is essential to remember that though contrails are visible to the naked human eye they are NOT visible to Radars. Ergo, until the stealth aircraft is really close (assuming it is on a SEAD/DEAD mission) one cannot see the contrails and by the time they do, it is too late. Moreover, stealth aircraft generally operate during night when contrails are less visible.


  Stealth aircraft have low visibility on radar.


Not necessarily. VHF radar should be able to detect them at long range. Moreover, RCS of aircraft is a complex phenomenon, depending on many stuff (frequency, aspect angle, polarization of signal etc). You will never find a "static" figure for this.