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In the last twenty years, radar cross section (RCS) reduction has emerged as an important and achievable way to improve the survivability of military aircraft. Specifically, the first manned aircraft to achieve a tactically significant reduction in RCS was the Lockheed Have Blue technology demonstrator, which was designed starting in 1975 and first flew in 1977. This was followed by a true military aircraft, the F-117 A, which became operational in 1983. Several very low observable (VLO) aircraft have been designed since then. All of them benefit from significant advances in the ability to predict and improve the RCS of an aircraft in its early design stages. The present paper describes these advances and their impact on aircraft design, using examples of reduced RCS aircraft designed before and after the techniques were evolved.