: External missiles and fuel tanks are major RCS contributors. The EWP was designed to carry ordnance internally to maintain a cleaner, lower-RCS profile.
The most significant contributor to RCS on any jet engine is the . The spinning turbine blades act like a perfect corner reflector, sending radar waves back to the source with enthusiasm. f18 super hornet rcs
If a Super Hornet flies a bombing mission with four 2,000lb bombs, two AMRAAMs, two Sidewinders, and three external fuel tanks, its RCS balloons to 10 m² or more . It becomes detectable from over 150 miles away by a modern radar like the AN/APG-81 or the Russian Irbis-E. : External missiles and fuel tanks are major