According to a report by the Russian News Agency on the 10th, Russian military expert Alexei Leonkov wrote in the Russian newspaper Red Star that he found the “achilles heel” of stealth technology used by American B-2 bombers, F-22 fighters and F-35 fighters.
In the article, he pointed out that the report on the effective scattering area did not always indicate the detection distance to be measured, so the data provided was “not completely objective”.
Leonkov said that Russian Su-35 fighters equipped with Snow Leopard radar can detect the fifth generation of the U.S. F-22 fighter, which will be found within 266 kilometers, which is why it will not be able to quietly launch AIM-120D missiles at 180 kilometers.
Russian experts point out that the stealth technology of the United States makes fighter jets not easy to be detected by radar.
The basis is to scatter their radiation in the opposite direction as the radar antenna, and the effectiveness of the system depends on the frequency of the enemy air defense system.
Essentially, they are designed for the frequency of the X-band (centimeter wavelength), where most modern anti-aircraft radars and aircraft operate. If enemy radars use the L-band (decmeter wave) or the Ka-band (millimeter wave), the U.S. aircraft are in danger of detection.
According to Leonkov, older anti-aircraft radar systems (such as S-125) use L-band frequencies (decimeter waves), so American stealth technology is almost useless to them. This is why the U.S. F-117A fighter bomber was found and shot down in Serbia.
Millimeter-wave (Ka-band) radar also poses a threat to stealth technology, while active phased antenna arrays that work in all ranges make stealth technology meaningless.
The most important feature of active phased antenna arrays is that it can scan space at different frequency ranges at the same time. The antenna plane of airborne radar using an active phased antenna array has multiple unit elements, each of which is both a receiver and a transmitter.
Leonkov said that airborne radar using an active phased antenna array would eventually bury American stealth aircraft technology.
Earlier, the Su-35 was called a “fighter killer” by National Interest magazine because of its super maneuverability and the ability to perform multiple missions – especially to strike ground and sea targets, including those covered by air defense systems.
The magazine pointed out that the Su-35 is equipped with air-to-air missiles that can destroy targets within 300 kilometers.
