Materials and Technologies

The skin of the aircraft was covered in Radar Absorbing Material, or RAM, which was a material designed to absorb any excess radar waves that had been developed alongside the Nighthawk for the F-117 specifically. This material that was composed of ferrite and polymer was applied in tiles on the skin of the aircraft, on the cockpit windows in the form of film, as well as the engine inlet covers. The exhaust stream was directed upward and spread along the exhaust duct in an attempt to reduce the aircraft's infrared heat signature, which could just as easily give the Nighthawk's position away to the enemy.