There is only one problem that I can see with such a setup: the B-2 has the radar signature of an un-laden swallow.
And considering the background EM ‘noise’ of the Chinese coastal regions, with 100’s of millions of cell phones, commercial aircraft, and then the computational costs to sift the noise in real time to notice a small weak moving reflection, it is not a workable system.
And for what it’s worth, the F-117 was a ‘proof of concept’, and while good for it’s time, it was a fully coconut laden swallow, and flew low enough and slow enough that quad-mounted 20mm AAA cannons and a gunner with a keen ear could still find the thing in the dark.
A better option, and I hope the US is already using it, is to have powerful IR cameras watching from satellites in LEO. Even the diffused exhaust from a B-2 or other stealth design will show up clearly against the low air temperatures at high altitudes. And on the ground, the whine of high bypass fans will have a distinct audio signal.
And of course, then there is LIDAR. Build a big enough laser, and you will see then in greater detail than the B-2’s USAF publicity pics.
From what I've read, surveillance radar is able to detect the presence of stealth planes but not give a firing solution. If that is the case, I would guess that a passive system gives an even worse solution than a surveillance radar (which at least emits). Does that make sense?
There is only one problem that I can see with such a setup: the B-2 has the radar signature of an un-laden swallow.
And considering the background EM ‘noise’ of the Chinese coastal regions, with 100’s of millions of cell phones, commercial aircraft, and then the computational costs to sift the noise in real time to notice a small weak moving reflection, it is not a workable system.
And for what it’s worth, the F-117 was a ‘proof of concept’, and while good for it’s time, it was a fully coconut laden swallow, and flew low enough and slow enough that quad-mounted 20mm AAA cannons and a gunner with a keen ear could still find the thing in the dark.
A better option, and I hope the US is already using it, is to have powerful IR cameras watching from satellites in LEO. Even the diffused exhaust from a B-2 or other stealth design will show up clearly against the low air temperatures at high altitudes. And on the ground, the whine of high bypass fans will have a distinct audio signal.
And of course, then there is LIDAR. Build a big enough laser, and you will see then in greater detail than the B-2’s USAF publicity pics.
Very detailed and clear analysis!
Amazing article, rare to hear such detailed and balanced account
From what I've read, surveillance radar is able to detect the presence of stealth planes but not give a firing solution. If that is the case, I would guess that a passive system gives an even worse solution than a surveillance radar (which at least emits). Does that make sense?
Fantastic piece. Will bring this up with the management of the U.S. defense primes next time I speak to them !
Large Array Passive Radars combined with massive data and AI plus Drones are definitely moving the pieces 🎱 🎲♟️💀 🎰 🎯 on the board.....