Chinese scientists claim to have developed new-generation plasma stealth technology that allows aircraft to disappear from radar, according to the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post (SCMP).
The "closed electron beam plasma stealth device" can be switched on at a moment's notice while protecting an aircraft from interception by radar, the SCMP reported on Monday.
The findings published in The Chinese Journal of Radio Science are part of a research project led by Tan Chang and his team at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the SCMP reported.
The technological advancement by Chinese researchers comes as the geopolitical contest between Washington and Beijing over military supremacy in the Indo-Pacific region has kept tensions high.
The technology has many advantages, such as "simple structure, wide power adjustable range and high plasma density," Tan Chang and his team wrote in a peer-reviewed paper in December.
"When electromagnetic waves—such as those emitted by radar—interact with plasma, they cause the particles to move rapidly and collide, dissipating the waves' energy and reducing the strength of the reflected signal," the SCMP reported.
"Both of these methods for achieving stealth via low-temperature plasma have undergone flight tests and proven successful. This interaction converts the energy of the electromagnetic waves into mechanical and thermal energy of the charged particles, diminishing the waves' strength and subsequently weakening the radar signal reflected back."
The concept of plasma stealth technology, an innovative approach to making aircraft invisible to radar, originated in the Cold War era. During that tense period, the United States and the Soviet Union dedicated significant resources to developing this technology.
Despite their efforts, technological limitations of the time prevented plasma stealth from advancing beyond experimental stages. In contrast, modern stealth aircraft, such as the F-22 and F-35, achieve invisibility through radar-absorbent materials and unique geometric shapes.
Those features, however, compromise aerodynamic efficiency—for instance, the F-22 faces challenges in close combat scenarios, and the F-35 cannot sustain supersonic speeds—and the invisibility technology of radar-absorbent materials can have a steep cost, according to the SCMP.
Researchers in China, including the air forces, are trying to develop a closed plasma stealth technology, the SCMP reported. The improvement could help to make it easier to generate high-density plasma and change its characteristic parameters to absorb multi-band electromagnetic waves.
"Prototype tests conducted on the ground have displayed the feasibility of their design," the Chinese team behind the innovation said, according to the SCMP. "However, not everyone can build this machine, as there are many technical challenges behind its seemingly simple structure. For instance, accurately measuring plasma within the cavity poses a significant hurdle with existing methods.
"We anticipate the real-life implementation of this technology in China soon," Tan and his colleagues added.
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Aadil Brar is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers international security, U.S.-China relations, and East Asian ... Read more
