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A study reveals that China's stratospheric airship, equipped with advanced infrared sensors, can detect the F-35's heat signature from nearly 2.000 km away, compromising US stealth technology and changing the military balance in the Pacific.
In the skies, war has always been a game of hide and seek. The United States is relying heavily on the stealth of the F-35 to avoid detection, but China may have found a loophole. A new study suggests that a Chinese stratospheric airship can identify the fifth-generation fighter from nearly 2.000 km away. But how is this possible? And what are the implications for the military balance in the Pacific?
A new threat to the F-35's stealth?
Stealth technology is designed to make aircraft “invisible” to radar by reducing their electromagnetic signature. The F-35, one of the world’s most advanced fighter jets, uses a special coating that absorbs radar waves, making it extremely difficult to detect. But there's a problem: this stealth works well against radar, but not against infrared sensors.
That’s where the new study from Chinese scientists comes in. They analyzed the F-35’s heat signature and discovered a weak spot: its engine exhaust. While the fighter’s fuselage can stay cool, the engine’s heat output reaches nearly 1.000 Kelvin (about 727°C), emitting intense infrared radiation. This creates a thermal “trail” visible to advanced sensors.
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China's stratospheric airship and its detection technology
The study was led by the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics (CIOMP), which plays a important role in programs China's missile and space program. Researchers have found that by positioning a blimp at an altitude of 20 km, equipped with advanced infrared sensors, it would be possible to track the F-35's thermal signature at impressive distances.
The detectors use materials such as mercury-cadmium-telluride, which are extremely sensitive to infrared radiation. The sensors operate in the wavelength range of 2,8 to 4,3 micrometers, where there is less atmospheric interference, ensuring accurate capture of thermal signals.
How does the blimp detect the F-35 from 2.000 km away?
The key to this detection lies in thermal contrast. The F-35 may evade radar, but its heat exhaust still shines like a beacon for infrared sensors. The Chinese airship, by hovering at high altitudes, has a privileged view of the battlefield, and can capture the fighter's heat from different angles.
- From behind or side: detection occurs at 1.800 to 2.000 km due to the strong heat from the exhaust.
- Head-on: Detection drops to 350 km, as the F-35's frontal thermal profile is smaller.
This approach could neutralize some of the advantage of technology stealth by the United States, making fighters like the F-35 more vulnerable to Chinese air defense systems.
