The Lockheed Martin F-22a Raptor fighter jet is the pinnacle of modern stealth technology. Featuring the latest in radar-absorbent coating and aircraft design, this aircraft not only defies, but also mocks, enemy attempts to spot it, appearing as a dot the same size as a marble on radar . Throughout the ages, it was not he with the bigger stick who won the war, but he with the invisible stick. Stealth technology and camouflage have been an integral part of warfare since the earliest beginnings of man, but how did advances in ancient technology lead us to what we have today? From hiding in a bush to the Japanese Ninja's ability to simply disappear into the surrounding area, to modern military camouflage to the F-22 and beyond, the ability to hide from the enemy is an advantage observable in wars throughout history. However, what technologies led us to what exists today? Who first discovered how it worked, who was the first to use it, and how does modern stealth technology work? How did camouflage come to mean that soldiers and vehicles could simply disappear? For everyone from assassins to the military, the ability to go unnoticed is a valuable technology with a long history. The first widely recorded use of what might be said to be camouflage came with the Ninjas of feudal Japan. Although few written records exist of these shadowy assassins, traces of their stealth and knowledge of the art of remaining hidden endure. Masters in the art of not remaining invisible, the Ninja would "use any type of clothing that would bring them closer to the mission objective" (EnterTheNinja.com). This could include not only the standard black pajamas that many people associate with the shadowy assassin... middle of paper ... designed to simulate the effect of radar waves on different surfaces (CentannialOfFlight.gov). This was a notable advancement in stealth technology because for the first time scientists realized that by using faceted surfaces they could scatter almost any radar waves striking an object away from the source, making thus said object invisible to radar detection, or almost. In 1977, this discovery was used in a new F-117 Nighthawk airframe. This new aircraft was entirely designed to avoid enemy electronic detection. With a revolutionary faceted design covered in RAM, or radar-absorbing materials, the new plane was almost invisible to radar detection, and a new type of exhaust system reduced heat drag from the plane's engines, making for the first time an aircraft with a minimal infrared signature in addition to its minimal radar signature.