Question about plane's colors

[FoxElite]

Many airforces in the world chose many different colors for their planes,for example:Russia-former blue with camo and now black(???),US and other NATO country-mostly gray and white...etc..So i just wonder.what kind of thing they based on when they chose the color for their military planes?Is it the effectiveness?or they just want to distinguish?What's your opinion?

 

Off-topic question:Do you think they should paint the Raptor with white-gray color?I think it's better than it's current paint scheme :)

[Nealius]

I am completely ignorant on this, but from my observations of the USAF:

 

We used to have a camo topside and an white/gray-ish underside. The disadvantage I see with that is when the camo side is put up against a cloud or against the sky when maneuvering.

 

Now that almost everything is kind of a gray color, gray blends well into the sky, horizon, clouds, and the sea, so it is almost like a universal camouflage against everything except the ground, but I guess in most cases you will be doing everything you can to stay above your enemy anyway.

[nr1jc]

remember that us airplanes will "never" need camoflage due to long range capabilities ;) LOLS (and stealth so you wouldnt know where to look??)

[Invader ZIM]

Radar absorbing paint is the main reason U.S. aircraft are the colors they are.

 

http://theaviationist.com/2012/08/30/have-glass/#.UWXqoH7D99M

 

It's currently called "Have Glass 5th generation" according to the site above But you can do a search of the "Have Glass" "Have Glass I/II" program or "PACER GEM I/II" and find out it's not a normal paint scheme. Iron Ball is one of the earlier types of this paint example.

 

All the U.S. “Wild Weasel” F-16s are being given a new paint job similar to the one of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

It is called “Have Glass 5th generation” as it represents the evolution of the standard Have Glass program that saw all the F-16s receiving a two-tone grey color scheme made with a special radar-absorbing paint capable to reduce the aircraft Radar Cross Section: in fact, “Vipers” are covered with RAM (Radar Absorbent Material) made of microscopic metal grains that can degrade the radar signature of the aircraft.

For the moment, the JSF-like paint job will be applied to the F-16CM (formerly CJ) Block 50 Fighting Falcon aircraft that can carry a variety of air-to-air and air-to-surface ordnance, including HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles) and precision-guided munitions.

Their role is to enter the enemy territory ahead of the strike package to take care of the enemy air defenses: radars and fixed and mobile SAM (Surface to Air Missiles) batteries.

Therefore, the units that will fly with the F-16CMs in the new color scheme will be those tasked with SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) missions: the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem (Germany), the 35th FW at Misawa (Japan), the 20th FW at Shaw Air Force Base, the 169th FW at McEntire Joint National Guard Base (SC), and 148th FW at Duluth International Airport, (MN).

Whilst two aircraft in the U.S. flew the Have Glass 4 paint job for test purposes (98-0004 and 98-0005 flying with the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron from Eglin AFB) the first aircraft spotted in the new livery is a Minnesota ANG F-16CM, 91-0391, that is currently deployed at Kandahar, Afghanistan.

 

On the F-35 several special materials are used, including Radar Absorbing Materials (RAM), Radar Absorbing Structure and Infrared (IR) Topcoat. Unlike the F-117, which was totally coated with 2,000 pounds of RAM, these materials are more selectively used on the JSF. Lockheed Martin developed paint-type RAM which is applied around the edges of doors and control surfaces. RAS is used on the body, wing and tail edges. For the application of this paint robots will be used, like the CASPER (Computer Aided Spray Paint Expelling Robot) system used for F-22 and the Have Glass II program used for painting 1,700 F-16s with RAM. Robots are essential because they can reach confined areas, as the inlet ducts, and can work without stepping on the aircraft.

 

These materials comprise ferromagnetic particles, embedded in a high-dielectric-constant polymer base. The dielectric material slows down the wave and the ferromagnetic particles absorb the energy. These coatings are also designed in a way that the small reflection from the front face of the absorber is cancelled by a residual reflection from the structure beneath it. This is not an easy procedure, and it makes RAM design much more tricky than most people believe.

 

JSF’s entire airframe is also painted with a camouflage topcoat that suppresses IR. [...]

 

Source: http://evangelidis.gr/embry/F35LO-ShortReport-HTML.htm

 

So even though nr1jc was joking a bit in the post above, it turns out he's actually correct. ;)

Edited April 10, 2013 by Invader ZIM

[Nealius]

Another thing I found somewhere is that the human eye has a hard time picking gray out of a hazy blue background.

 

Have Glass 5 is fugly IMO. I know looks don't matter but I much prefer the earlier Have Glass schemes.

[mikoyan]

There is a picture of a flanker painted to imitate the taxiway concrete. I wonder why the Russians are using that dark gray,is it harder to see than the blue? Did they apply any radar reduction paint? Also fighters get anti glare and reflexion treatment on windows and glass, at some angles it looks like the glass is stained with oil, lol.

Is there any laser protection on American fighters. I read that the Russians don't turn on The laser rangefinder on the flankers and migs during training to prevent pilots from getting the man in black treatment while dogfighting.

[vanir]

Russia in particular has extreme variation of atmospheric conditions from thinner arctic air to storm swept tundra-deserts, mountainous regions and inland seas, rainy marshes to arid canyons. Airframe camoflage which generally blends in over the Bering sea doesn't so much over the Caspian.

 

With the collapse of the Soviet Union you see much less variation in the relatively small number of Flankers that were equipped at that time. MiG was the main VVS fighter, the initial Flankers were nearly all operated by PVO-Strany. You might have different camo schemes from one district to the next based on common atmospheric conditions, including common skyline hues but these district PVO Flankers have become Ukrainian AF or Kazakhstan AF Flankers (whilst Russian PVO Flankers became VVS Flankers). Main stock of Russian Flankers operated on arctic and siberian patrol, so blues. Ukraine (old west district) Flankers are darker blues for the Black Sea sky. etc.

 

The camo schemes you see in demos though is designed for the intended market.

The old "Terminator" brown SuperFlanker scheme was hoped to attract Middle Eastern/African/CentralAsian purchases in the 90s, they also advertised it as a multirole emphasis. That went south.

The newer SuperFlanker (Su-35 or Su-30MK-) black/grey scheme is based on attracting Pacific rim customers, more successful with sales purchases.

 

They basically paint the demos based on who they're trying to get purchases from.

Edited April 18, 2013 by vanir

[Kaktus29]

i think having darker schemes is for planes that usually fly at night and do the most striking at night-US.. US was the first to have this night capability and to make the planes less visible to the naked eye it makes sense to make darker planes to fit the dark night skies..

 

While Russian one's were meant to be used by daylight for interception,dogfights, so colours that help you camouflage yourself in the background are preferred ..

 

A grey colour US uses will hardly do magic if the plane flies low and you stumble upon it looking down, while the russian one will blend much more.. but that is during daylight.. if it is during night the US blends great..

 

for this reason i think Russia also started painting their Su-34,35,etc.. black... and grey..

[Bimbac]

Hello guys,

 

Grey color is the least visible color to a human eye, therefore it is mostly used on military aircraft all around the world. Of course, you can always see a moving object in the sky, so the camouflage is most effective when looking from above.

 

Best regards! :thumbup: