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Saturday, May 27, 2017
Archives: China Claims Its New Anti-Stealth Radars Can Detect the F-22

China Claims Its New Anti-Stealth Radars Can Detect the F-22
If true, that's bad news.
By Kyle Mizokami Popular Mechanics
http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a23846/china-anti-stealth-radars-detect-f-22/

China showed off what it claims is an anti-stealth radar system at this
month's Zhuhai Air Show. If true, the radar threatens to undo hundreds of
billions in U.S. spending on stealth warplanes.

China showed off two anti-stealth radars at Zhuhai. The first, the JY-27A
3-D long-range surveillance/guidance radar, is a Very High Frequency (VHF)
radar that, according to Shephard Media, is the Chinese military's first
active-phased array radar. VHF radars, with their longer wavelengths, are
more likely to detect stealth aircraft, and it's been known that China has
been working on them for some time now.

Phased-array radars, unlike traditional "dish" radars, are flat panels
composed of hundreds of smaller transmit/receive panels. While traditional
radars are like turning on a flashlight in a dark room—everyone can see
where the beam of light is coming from—phased array radars are more
difficult to detect. They're also less susceptible to jamming.

The article states "There are unverified claims that the radar can pick up
hostile stealth fighters at ranges of up to 500km (310 miles.)" If so, that
would out-stick American stealth aircraft, revealing them before they could
get into a fight.

Another anti-stealth radar on display at Zhuhai was the JY-26 Skywatcher-U.
This radar works in a broader bandwidth, in VHF and Ultra-High Frequency
bands. According to Shephard Media, it has a range of 310 miles and can
track up to 500 targets at once. Intriguingly, it claims that while under
development in Shandong, China it was able to track American F-22 Raptors
flying over South Korea.

If this is true, the U.S. military could be in big trouble. The Pentagon has
spent hundreds of billions on stealth technology over the past thirty years,
on everything from the F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter to the B-2 bomber
and the F-22 Raptor. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project is estimated to
cost everyone involve more than a billion dollars. All of those planes could
have been a lot cheaper if not for the hard work of making them stealth, and
if that advantage turns out to be useless that is a ton of money mostly
wasted.

While China's claim of detecting the F-22 sounds impressive, there is one
awfully big caveat to go along with it. F-22 Raptors did briefly visit Osan
Air Force Base in South Korea on February 17th, 2016. However, they were
fitted with external fuel tanks that allowed them to easily make the trip
from Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa to Osan. Large drop tanks hanging off
their wings would have ruined their stealthy profile, making them much more
visible to radar, so it's not entirely surprising that a radar would have
detected them.

Does this mean stealth is dead? Not every radar is a VHF radar, and stealth
is still useful against radars that are not VHF. Stealth also likely
decreases the range at which radars such as Skywatcher can acquire targets.
Stealth is part of the package of essential features of a modern combat
aircraft, as important as electronic countermeasures, radars, or and
defensive systems. Stealth, whether anyone likes it or not, is here to stay.

Source: Shephard Media

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