WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF
What if the US military lost its stealth advantage? That’s happening …
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Chinese researchers associated with the country’s air force recently revealed that they have developed a new radar technology that can easily detect stealth aircraft, including the United States’ F-22. American fighter jet F-22 has gained global recognition for its stealth capabilities. As per the US military, the F-22 is the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft because of its special design partly because its radar cross-section (RCS) is quite minuscule – about 0.16 sq inch – which makes it difficult for conventional radar systems to track the fighter jet.
The researchers’ team, led by Xie Junwei from the Air Force Engineering University in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, published its findings in the peer-reviewed Journal of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
According to the findings, the newly developed technology could increase the radar signature of a stealth fighter, and the team explain that the new radar system can make a stealth fighter with the same configuration as the F-22 appear comparable to a typical fighter jet with an RCS of over 6 square meters.
This indicates a dramatic increase of 60,000 times in an F-22’s radar signature, which is a big difference compared to conventional radar systems.
The Chinese researchers also claimed they could locate the F-22 within a vast combat zone of about 24,300 square miles. Besides, the team said they were successful in pinpointing the F-22’s real-time position with exemplary accuracy.
The radar also achieved an error margin of less than 65 feet while tracking the stealth fighter. This data is enough to guide interceptor fighters or air-defense missiles, eroding the stealth advantage of the F-22.
The Chinese defense system has already employed various anti-stealth radars. Now, this new technology aims to take this further. It uses multiple radars to scan from different angles, combined with a concept called “Smart Resource Scheduling.”
This scheduling system dynamically shifts detecting resources towards the most exposed portion of the stealth fighter jet, maximising the intensity and accuracy of its radar signature. The team says this system requires only three radars that can be placed on land, islands, ships, or even airplanes.
If Chinese claims are to go by, this new radar technology can have significant implications for the F-22’s combat effectiveness.
The F-22 relies heavily on its stealth capabilities to evade enemy air defenses before striking targets with air-to-air missiles with an effective range of about 62 miles. For precision-guided bomb attacks on the ground, the stealth fighter must be within a 12 mile radius.
China’s new radar system aims to negate this key advantage of the F-22.
The researchers state that precise coordinates and movement speeds of the F-22 could be computed in just 0.008 seconds. Moreover, it can even track the details of each stealth fighter within an invading F-22 formation in just 0.02 seconds.
The development has occurred against a backdrop of heightened tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. With this new radar technology, China aims to get an advantage in areas like the South China Sea and the Western Pacific Ocean, and China has also increased the production of its J-20 stealth fighters. It sees American F-22s stationed in Japan as a threat to its coastal infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the US has modernised its fleet of more than 100 F-22s which is significant considering that the US had stopped the production of F-22 jets due to high costs.
This reflects an ongoing technological race in modern aerial warfare, with both sides seeking advantages in detection and defense capabilities.
The post This new Chinese radar detects US stealth jets 65,000 times better appeared first on Matthew Griffin | Keynote Speaker & Master Futurist.