- cross-posted to:
- technology@lemmygrad.ml
- cross-posted to:
- technology@lemmygrad.ml
https://archive.is/2024.09.16-214410/https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/china-starlink-detect-stealth-fighters#selection-373.0-373.86
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This is insane, passive detection is a death sentence for stealth aircraft because they can't get prior warning they've been detected and can't tell where they were detected from.
If this is viable Musk may have just single handedly prevented the US from having air superiority. Will be wild to see this start being used by smaller countries since it seems like the startup costs aren't that great thanks to Musk already doing the expense part.
Not just killed US air superiority, but potentially made thousands of soviet-era launchers capable of cheap modernization to counter 5th generation stealth craft.
It would make it possible for dozens of non-state actors to recreate the Yugoslav Nighthawk incident.
Yeah, it basically makes the whole technology useless against peer adversaries. It doesn't seem like there's an easy way around this either.
Not even peers, the satellites are basically casting a giant shadow on anyone who sets up a detector. Even impoverished 3rd world countries can set up HAM radio operations with some moderately powerful computers to detect them.
Good point, the tech to detect and shoot down stealth jets is becoming available to everyone.
Interesting but the US could just bully Musk into turning off all the Starlink stuff in a given region half an hour before air operations start. Of course the fact the US military pays for a special version of it complicates things but nothing of theirs relies entirely on it so far and they have existing systems they can use if it's off.
Turning off the signal in an area is also bad because it immediately tells whoever is there that you're obviously planning to fly stealth aircraft there.
I'd bet they already knew this was possible and hoped to exploit it against China for awhile before anyone else figured it out.
If that's the case the US is totally doomed. Anyone with Hall a brain should have been able to tell that China is the global heart of scientific development and they have more than enough people smart enough to figure this out fast.
Honestly they've probably had this tech since like a month after Elon announced Starlink and are only now revealing it.
yeah, but China can launch their own constellation now that would let them do the same thing. The best part is it doesn't even matter who operates the satellites. As long as you can tack signals from them, you'll be able to see the shadow of the jet passing under.
Thing is, even if they can control musk they can't necessarily control other companies that are trying to compete. There's more than a few sources of radio waves in LEO now, starlink is just the largest for now.
And if there isn't, nothing is stopping any government with the funds from stuffing a bunch of high powered radio transmitters to satellites to blast X or Y region to deter stealth aircraft
