Markings for hypersonic stealth aircraft? Yes or No?

[seadude]

Most stealth aircraft tend to have some markings (Unit, National Insignia, Tail code, etc., etc.) on them for identification, maintenance, or other purposes. But what about aircraft flying at Mach 3 or above, and 75,000 feet and above? Does it even make sense to put markings on hypersonic aircraft traveling that fast? At such high speeds, most markings might tend to "burn off". No sense in incurring higher maintenance costs to keep applying such markings, right?
Take for example the supposed Aurora hypersonic spyplane which may or may not exist and is supposed to fly at around Mach 6. Would any type of markings really be necessary for this craft? Ask yourself this: If you're on a secret high speed and high flying mission over enemy territory, you sure as hell don't want the enemy seeing any national insignia on your craft and deducing where it came from.

[Mr.Creak]

Wouldn't matter what markings it had: there's an old, possibly apocryphal, story about the result of an SR-71 overflight of Israel during one of their wars.
They complained through diplomatic channels to the USA and when asked "What makes you think it was us?" replied ""Well, given the speed and altitude from the radar track we looked in Janes AWA and the only thing that matched was the SR71. And you're the only people that fly them. Stop it".

[Rick Lowe]

Wouldn't matter what markings it had: there's an old, possibly apocryphal, story about the result of an SR-71 overflight of Israel during one of their wars.
They complained through diplomatic channels to the USA and when asked "What makes you think it was us?" replied ""Well, given the speed and altitude from the radar track we looked in Janes AWA and the only thing that matched was the SR71. And you're the only people that fly them. Stop it".

LOL!

I sometimes wonder whether the Intelligence Services really need people to go and work 'Behind the Lines', when with a good library and search engine they could probably get more information and a better picture with just a few people hovering over keyboards... 

[Allan]

at our hobby club meeting one night there was a speaker from the US Air Force who had flown stealth aircraft and he made the point that hadn't occurred to me before and it is that these stealth aircraft fly only at night because naturally even a stealth aircraft would be seen during the day

[RAFF-35]

You make a very good point Seadude, but the Sr-71 had markings, and that's the fastest stealth aircraft that we know of. And the fastest plane we know of, the X-15, had NASA slapped all over it 

[perttime]

Markings might be irrelevant while it is flying fast. They could make it faster to identify the wreckage once it is shot down or crashed...
I seem to recall there are some international norms about military aircraft markings???

[zenrat]

Aurora, if it exists, would need markings so it wasn't shot down when intercepted by the mach 8 interceptors we don't even suspect exist.

I may have said too much...

at our hobby club meeting one night there was a speaker from the US Air Force who had flown stealth aircraft and he made the point that hadn't occurred to me before and it is that these stealth aircraft fly only at night because naturally even a stealth aircraft would be seen during the day

That's what they want you to think.

[sandiego89]

I vote yes, small and not flashy, but yes.  Just a US roundel in boring gray or red, a spurious serial number and red warning labels (ramps, ejection seat triangles, etc).  I seem to recall red has better heat properties. 

Technically nationality markings are required by international treaty for a military aircraft, yes I know this is a spy plane....

[Captain Canada]

I'd say yes to all, national, unit, servicing....adds interest and I'm sure it would wear them in real life.

[Rick Lowe]

I would thing Esprit de Corps or Unit Pride would ensure some sort of markings were in evidence.

[jcf]

No such thing as hypersonic stealth, airframe heating from such speeds creates a IR signature
that makes the lower speed LO features moot.

Seriously, do you guys not think through poo-poo before you post?

[zenrat]

...Seriously, do you guys not think through poo-poo before you post?

Not often, no.  When i'm on a roll it just pours out of my fingers onto the screen.

[PR19_Kit]

No such thing as hypersonic stealth, airframe heating from such speeds creates a IR signature
that makes the lower speed LO features moot.

But the two capabilities can, and were, combined in one airframe, the SR-71 being the case in point.

Presumably Kelly Johnson designed the different aspects for the different speed regimes.

[jcf]

No such thing as hypersonic stealth, airframe heating from such speeds creates a IR signature
that makes the lower speed LO features moot.

But the two capabilities can, and were, combined in one airframe, the SR-71 being the case in point.

Presumably Kelly Johnson designed the different aspects for the different speed regimes.

The SR-71 is not and never was a hypersonic aircraft.

[PR19_Kit]

I's the nearest thing there is to one....................