 "Has China figured out a way to crack F-35's stealth?")
China’s stratospheric airship equipped with advanced infrared detection systems could spot stealth aircraft, like the US-made F-35 fighter jet, from almost 2,000 km (1,240 miles) away, according to a report, citing Chinese scientists.
According to a South China Morning Post report, the findings indicate a possible weakness in America’s fifth-generation stealth technology and represent a major advancement in China’s efforts to enhance its anti-access/area denial capabilities.
Researchers at the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics (CIOMP), a key contributor to China’s missile and space programs, studied the infrared signature of F-35s in simulated combat scenarios involving Taiwan.
Their findings were published in May in the Chinese-language journal Aerospace Technology.
The team discovered that while the jet’s radar-absorbing coating and exterior cooled to an average of 281 Kelvin (7.85 degrees Celsius or 46 Fahrenheit), effectively concealing it from traditional detection methods, its engine exhaust plume—reaching nearly 1,000 Kelvin—emitted mid-wave infrared radiation three times stronger than that of its airframe.
By concentrating on the 2.8-4.3 micrometre wavelength range, where atmospheric interference is minimal, and using mercury-cadmium-telluride detectors along with 300mm aperture telescopes, the unmanned airship operating at 20 km could detect an F-35’s rear thermal signature from over 1,800 km away when the aircraft was viewed from the side or behind.
However, detection from the front was limited to just 350 km due to the stealth jet’s reduced heat profile in that direction.
And networked airship constellations could overcome blind spots and increase their collective detection range, the report quoted study’s authors as saying.
A hexagonal formation of airships, for instance, could boost early warning coverage significantly while “swarm tactics” using thousands of miniaturised airships with smaller infrared sensors could create overlapping surveillance grids.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsEven with half of the units damaged, these drone systems could maintain functional detection networks, added the report, citing estimates in some previous studies.
“These platforms hover at 20km altitude or higher for months” beyond the reach of most surface-to-air missiles and fighter jets, South China Morning Post report quoted the team led by Tian Hao, an associate researcher at CIOMP, as writing.
They operate in a “sweet spot”—closer than satellites and higher than AWACS planes—allowing them to monitor large areas persistently, added Tian and his colleagues.
This research has gained attention after China’s Northwestern Polytechnical University announced last month that a new twin-engine unmanned airship exceeded reliability benchmarks. Its critical components achieved a 15 per cent longer mean time between failures (MTBF) than required, marking a step toward mass production.
These developments come amid rising US-China tensions following the 2023 incident where American fighter jets downed a Chinese high-altitude balloon off South Carolina. While Beijing remains secretive about its stratospheric programs, some defense experts suggest these airships could enhance China’s anti-stealth systems, such as the JY-27A radar and low-orbit surveillance satellites.
Despite their high-altitude advantages, airships have limitations: they travel at about 120 km/h (75 mph), making them relatively slow, and their large size makes them vulnerable to specialised interceptors. However, their operational altitude complicates engagement logistics since they fly above commercial air traffic but below satellite orbits.
This breakthrough highlights the escalating competition in “near-space” technologies. Unlike hypersonic weapons, stratospheric airships provide low-cost, persistent surveillance that could democratise high-altitude reconnaissance and reshape regional security dynamics.
Similar platforms are also being developed in the US and Europe, with experts suggesting a layered approach combining infrared tracking from airships with space-based sensors and radar to challenge stealth aircraft.
With inputs from agencies
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