Chinese Stratospheric Airship Can Spot F-35 From 2,000 km Away: Study Reveals Stealth Vulnerability

 

F-35 fighter jets

China's stratospheric airship can detect an American F-35 fighter jet at a distance of almost 2,000 km: a study. Chinese researchers claim to have discovered the aircraft's potential vulnerability while studying simulated combat operations involving Taiwan.  

The results of the study point to the potential vulnerability of the fifth-generation American stealth technology and mark a significant leap in China's efforts to create access restriction/zone blocking capabilities. Researchers from the Changchun Institute of Optics, Precision Mechanics and Physics (CIOMP), a key player in China's rocket and space programs, analyzed the infrared signature of the F—35 in simulated combat scenarios in which it participated. Taiwan.

The study was published in May in the Chinese-language journal Aerospace Technology. The team found that while the radio-absorbing coating and the exterior of the aircraft cooled to an average of 281 degrees Kelvin (7.85 degrees Celsius or 46 degrees Fahrenheit), effectively hiding it from traditional detection, the exhaust jet of its engine, which reaches temperatures of almost 1,000 degrees Kelvin, emitted medium-wave infrared radiation three orders of magnitude stronger. than his glider.

By focusing on the wavelength range of 2.8–4.3 microns, where atmospheric interference is minimal, and deploying mercury, cadmium, and telluride detectors and telescopes with an aperture of 300 mm., An unmanned airship hovering at an altitude of 20 km could detect the F-35's rear thermal signature at a distance of more than 1,800 km if viewed from the side or rear of the aircraft.However, the detection range from the front remained limited to 350 km due to the reduced thermal profile of the stealth aircraft.