Stealth aircraft are designed to avoid radar detection and other surveillance technologies. The U.S., China, Russia, the United Kingdom, India, and Japan currently own this type of aircraft, while France, South Korea, and Turkey are also developing them. Their strategic importance is significant because they allow these countries to carry out missions with a very low probability of being detected, at least until now.
China is changing the rules of stealth aircraft and is demonstrating its ingenuity while doing so. Recently, a team of Chinese scientists successfully used signals from satellites in Elon Musk’s Starlink network to detect a stealth object in the South China Sea, according to the South China Morning Post. This breakthrough has enormous potential because countries could use it to detect stealth aircraft of enemy nations in the future.
A Relatively Simple Experiment That Has Proven Its Effectiveness
During their tests, Chinese scientists used a DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone, which is similar in size to a bird. Their goal was for the drone to mimic a stealth object, and they successfully identified it by analyzing the electromagnetic signals emitted by a Starlink network satellite flying over the Philippines. It’s worth noting that this network consists of more than 6,000 satellites in orbit designed to emit high-frequency encrypted signals.
Chinese scientists employed a strategy that involves detecting disruptions in the electromagnetic waves emitted by a satellite when a stealth object, such as a plane or drone, crosses its path. This interference causes small disturbances in the signal that enemy countries can capture and analyze to determine the location of the stealth object. Furthermore, this technique has an additional advantage: It doesn’t require the radar to emit signals, making it difficult for adversaries to detect or jam.
Interestingly, the Chinese engineers were able to identify even the smallest details of the drone, including the movement of the rotors. They haven’t disclosed the algorithm and hardware characteristics they used to analyze the captured signals, which is understandable because they likely want to keep that information confidential.
However, they did disclose that, to enable detection, they built a receiver using readily available electronic components. This device captured and processed the data. While major military powers are working on other technologies to identify stealth aircraft, this particular method has already demonstrated its effectiveness. And it’s remarkably simple, which makes it even more fascinating.
Image | Official SpaceX Photos | Billy Freeman
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