China's 'cheap' stealth technology can outmaneuver military radar systems

Chinese scientists have achieved a series of breakthroughs in stealth material technology, according to their claims, that can help build fighters and other lighter and cheaper weapons, copper. Time to avoid being detected by radar system.

Professor Luo Xiangang and colleagues at the Institute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, said they created the world's first mathematical model, the main description. confirm the behavior of electric waves when touching a piece of metal with a microscope pattern.

Stealth aircraft are mainly made with shapes that are special geometry to deflect radar signals.

With the new model and breakthroughs in material manufacturing, the team built a type of membrane, also known as a meta-surface, that can absorb radar waves in the widest spectrum.

Currently, stealth aircraft are mainly made with shapes that are special geometry to deflect radar signals. However, such designs can affect aerodynamic performance. People also use radar absorbent paint, which has a high density but only resists the limited frequency spectrum.

In one experiment, the new technology cut the intensity of the reflected radar signal - measured in decibels - from 10 to nearly 30 dB in the frequency range from 0.3 to 40 gigahertz.

A stealth technology scientist from the Easter University in Shanghai said a fighter or warship using new invisibility technology could fool all active military radar systems.

"The scope of this discovery is unbelievable. I have never heard of anyone reaching such a level. Currently, the technology absorbs with effective range from 4 to 18 GHz has been considered very, very good. "

China's new radar system can detect remote stealth aircraft

The lower the signal frequency, the longer the radar detection range. But, detailed information regarding mobile targets can only be obtained with higher frequency radio waves. The military often uses a combination of active radars at different frequencies to establish defensive lines.

The expanded mid-range air defense system MEADS, Nato's early warning radar, operates in the frequency range of 0.3 to 1 GHz. US end-stage high-defense defense system THAAD, operating at a frequency of about 10 GHz.

Some airports use high-frequency, short-range radars at speeds of 20 GHz or more to track the movement of vehicles and aircraft on the ground. But, they may not even see jets applying new invisibility technology until the plane is right above their heads.

The Phuc Dan researchers say that materials applied to meta-surface technology have been equipped for military hardware in China, but specifically where they are used is a secret.

Professor Luo Xiangang.

Luo's group cannot comment. But according to the Academy's statement and an article published by the Luo group in Advanced Science in early 2019, breakthroughs in stealth technology are based on the research results they have done over the past few years. before.

The team found that radio wave propagation patterns - how they travel - in extremely narrow metal spaces are similar to chains. The same shape as the chains blocked by two fixed points due to their own weight.

China tested "invisibility cloaks" for regular fighters

Inspired by electricity from the chain, the team developed a mathematical model and designed meta surfaces that are suitable for most types of wave manipulation.

Energy-absorbing materials for vehicles and stealth antennas can be used on satellites or military aircraft.

Zhu Shining, a physics professor specializing in meta materials at Nanjing University, said the chain model is just a "novelty" idea .

The Institute of Optics and Electronics conducted research in this area, creating a solid foundation for their conclusions. And according to Zhu, they did well.

"Scientists are learning about the new features of metal materials, one of them has been practical," Zhu said.

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