China Claims Tech Breakthrough That Can Hide Early Warning Aircraft From Enemy Sensors

Chinese military scientists say they have developed a radar technology that could make the country’s airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft far harder to detect and track, a report in the South China Morning Post says.

AEW&C platforms, considered critical for coordinating modern air battles, have long been vulnerable because their powerful radar emissions can be picked up hundreds of kilometres away. According to researchers from the Air Force Engineering University, the new method makes those emissions nearly impossible to geolocate.

The technique relies on what is called frequency diverse array (FDA) radar. Unlike conventional phased arrays, FDA assigns each antenna a slightly different, time-varying frequency. At a distance, these mixed signals appear chaotic, preventing adversary sensors from locking onto the aircraft’s position.

Chinese scientists describe the effect as turning a clear tune into a fluctuating, distorted melody that defies recognition.

Simulations suggest enemy surveillance systems could see their localisation errors increase by kilometres, while angular accuracy degrades more than tenfold. Crucially, the AEW&C aircraft can still maintain communication with friendly forces while confusing hostile interceptors.

Researchers say this marks a shift from passive evasion to “active blinding” of enemy sensors. However, experts caution the technology requires extreme real-time processing power and precise control of every antenna element. Synchronisation delays, heat fluctuations and risks of interfering with friendly systems remain major hurdles.

If China succeeds in operationalising FDA radar, analysts believe it could tilt the electronic warfare balance in Beijing’s favour and complicate adversary attempts to neutralise its airborne command assets.