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Experimental German radar 'tracked two U.S. F-35 stealth jet for 100 MILES' after lying in wait on a pony farm to catch them flying home from airshow
The F-35 stealth fighter is lauded by the U.S Air Force as almost invisible to radar - which is why it has spent $100 million on each of the jets.
However, a German radar maker claims to have tracked two of jets from a pony farm for nearly 100 miles using an emerging generation of sensors and processors.
It used a new 'passive radar' system that analyzes how civilian communications - such as radio and TV broadcasts and mobile phone stations - bounce off airborne objects.
This, the firm says, renders the jet's stealth technology, that is designed to absorb ground based radar to stop it reflecting back, redundant.
The new radar has no emitters so pilots do not realize they are entering a monitored area - but it relies on there being civilian communication waves.
The two F-35s were reportedly tracked in 2018 after being flown to Germany from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona for the Berlin airshow.
The jets never took to the skies during the show meaning that the passive radar, based in a corner of the airfield, could not be tested on them.
But the radar makers kept a watch on the F-35s and once they knew the jets gearing up to head home, they set up the system, called TwInvis, at a nearby pony farm.
Following the jets' take-off, the firm activated the radar, began tracking the jets and collected data using signals from the planes.
Stealth technology has provided fighter jets with the ability to elude radar defenses and the US has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into studying and developing aircraft with this capability,
However, it seems they may be returning to the drawing board after following the news that two of their F-35 fighter jets were tracked by a German firm, first reported by C4ISRNet.
he technology is designed to observe electromagnetic emissions in the atmosphere, which includes such signals from radio stations, televisions, cellphone towers and more.
The radar can then spot an aircraft by ‘reading how the signals bounce off’ of the jet.
It was reported that the two US Air Force F-35As were at the Berlin Air Show in 2018 where the data was captured.
The technology found the jets and tracked them for approximately 93 miles.
However, C4ISRNet also noted that the German company knew when the jets were coming and were able to use the signals from the jets’ ADS-B transponders to help identify the craft.
So although this may sounds troublesome for those flying into battle, real enemies will not know when these fighter jets are coming – so they may not be able to detect them without this knowledge.
Another issue is that the radar's ability to spot the jets relies on signals from civilian transmitters, and many war zones are wastelands with not a civilian in sight.
With this being known, nations with a stealth craft could easily take out cell phone networks through cyberattacks or bomb radio broadcasting towers to keep their fighter jets hidden.
However, TwInvis is the only one of its kind that has successfully tracked an F-35, and from 93 miles away.
'As the radar develops and operators refine their tactics, it could become even more effective,' Popular Mechanics reported.
Read more:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/science...ding-pony-farm.html?ito=amp_twitter_share-top
- Radar is designed with sensors and processors capable of tracking F-35 jets
- It works observing electromagnetic emissions in the atmosphere
- Then it will read how signals are bouncing off airborne objects
- German radar maker said the system tracked two US jets for nearly 100 miles
The F-35 stealth fighter is lauded by the U.S Air Force as almost invisible to radar - which is why it has spent $100 million on each of the jets.
However, a German radar maker claims to have tracked two of jets from a pony farm for nearly 100 miles using an emerging generation of sensors and processors.
It used a new 'passive radar' system that analyzes how civilian communications - such as radio and TV broadcasts and mobile phone stations - bounce off airborne objects.
This, the firm says, renders the jet's stealth technology, that is designed to absorb ground based radar to stop it reflecting back, redundant.
The new radar has no emitters so pilots do not realize they are entering a monitored area - but it relies on there being civilian communication waves.
The two F-35s were reportedly tracked in 2018 after being flown to Germany from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona for the Berlin airshow.
The jets never took to the skies during the show meaning that the passive radar, based in a corner of the airfield, could not be tested on them.
But the radar makers kept a watch on the F-35s and once they knew the jets gearing up to head home, they set up the system, called TwInvis, at a nearby pony farm.
Following the jets' take-off, the firm activated the radar, began tracking the jets and collected data using signals from the planes.
Stealth technology has provided fighter jets with the ability to elude radar defenses and the US has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into studying and developing aircraft with this capability,
However, it seems they may be returning to the drawing board after following the news that two of their F-35 fighter jets were tracked by a German firm, first reported by C4ISRNet.
he technology is designed to observe electromagnetic emissions in the atmosphere, which includes such signals from radio stations, televisions, cellphone towers and more.
The radar can then spot an aircraft by ‘reading how the signals bounce off’ of the jet.
It was reported that the two US Air Force F-35As were at the Berlin Air Show in 2018 where the data was captured.
The technology found the jets and tracked them for approximately 93 miles.
However, C4ISRNet also noted that the German company knew when the jets were coming and were able to use the signals from the jets’ ADS-B transponders to help identify the craft.
So although this may sounds troublesome for those flying into battle, real enemies will not know when these fighter jets are coming – so they may not be able to detect them without this knowledge.
Another issue is that the radar's ability to spot the jets relies on signals from civilian transmitters, and many war zones are wastelands with not a civilian in sight.
With this being known, nations with a stealth craft could easily take out cell phone networks through cyberattacks or bomb radio broadcasting towers to keep their fighter jets hidden.
However, TwInvis is the only one of its kind that has successfully tracked an F-35, and from 93 miles away.
'As the radar develops and operators refine their tactics, it could become even more effective,' Popular Mechanics reported.
Read more:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/science...ding-pony-farm.html?ito=amp_twitter_share-top
