Stealth Technology

Stealth systems refer to special applications that are designed to make it much more difficult to detect something by distorting, absorbing or dampening the general signature created by f.e. emissions, electromagnetic reflections or the gravitational imprint of an object.

Cloaking

Cloaking, or active camouflage, refers to a shielding of ones own electromagnetic signature to remain undetected. Typically this is only used in military or scientific applications.

Cloaking is generally different to normal stealth technologies as it simply refers to a system that is able to project shield-like fields that distort exclusively electromagnetic waves. Depending on how advanced this technology is it might only work from certain frequencies to photons as a whole.

Many civilisations have developed active camouflage technology over the centuries, with the some of the more advanced users of active camouflage being The Covenant, the Imperium of Kings, and HAWK.

Visual-Cloaking

Visual-Cloaking is common application of cloaking and refers to a method of reflection of light in the visible spectrum, in ways to mask the entirety of a ship from visual detection. While often employed alongside Cloaking fields tuned to other frequencies, Visual-Cloaking, as it deals with higher wave frequencies than for example infrared(heat)-cloaking, is much more power intensive, and less frequently used.

Stealth in Subspace

All spacecraft leave a wake in subspace, similar to how surface maritime vessels leave a wake in water. These wakes can be detected by other ships using subspace scanners. A crafts electromagnetic signature can also be seen in subspace. The goal of active and passive camouflage is to mask subspace wake and electromagnetic signature to become virtually undetectable. Both of these terms are commonly referred to as subspace "noise". A stealth ships effectiveness is measured on how "quiet" it is in subspace. Stealth ships generally tend to be smaller, around corvette or frigate size, less 500 meters in length. To minimize their subspace noise as much as possible, crews are trained to put their ships (or boats) on "silent run", "quiet time", or "ultra quiet" mode. When a ship goes into silent run, it will activate its cloaking device, switch to auxiliary power, and reduce speed. To counter stealth ships, escorts and capital ships are equipped with Subspace Navigation and Ranging equipment, or Subspace SONAR. Unlike conventional SONAR, Subspace SONAR acts like RADAR, but in subspace. RADAR is used in normal space. When stealth ships are in silent run, their only available weapons are missiles and torpedoes. When a stealth ship fires its munitions, it will give away their position momentarily, allowing opposing ships to lock on and fire.

Stealth in Real Space

Spacecraft can be detected using radio waves, as well as light and visual contact. Stealth ships typically employ passive camouflage by dimming their running lights, and having their hull be painted a muted, nonreflective color. A stealth ships hull can also be covered in RADAR absorbent coating to further camouflage itself in normal space. Many stealth boats of the CIS appear as civilian ships on RADAR, if at all.

Countermeasures

Stealth ships carry a variety of counter measures against missiles and torpedoes, like many military spacecraft. However, on top of that, they also carry cloaked noisemakers and decoys to throw off any enemy ships from their signature. many conventional spacecraft come with countermeasures for stealth ships, such as subspace wake tracking torpedoes, cluster rockets, among others.