--- title: "Chinese Researchers Say They Can Detect Stealth Aircraft Using Starlink Satellites" description: "Chinese researchers claim that by using the radiation emitted by SpaceX's Starlink constellation, they can detect enemy stealth fighter jets." date: "2024-09-17" modified: "2024-09-17" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/chinese-researchers-detect-stealth-aircraft-starlink" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "china" - "SpaceX" - "starlink" - "Stealth Fighters" - "the digest" --- # Chinese Researchers Say They Can Detect Stealth Aircraft Using Starlink Satellites ![Chinese researchers claim that by using the radiation emitted by SpaceX's Starlink constellation, they can detect enemy stealth fighter jets.]() *\Image: Ronnie Macdonald / Futurism\* ## Hide and Starseek Chinese researchers claim that by using the radiation emitted by SpaceX's Starlink constellation, they can detect enemy stealth fighter jets. As the [*South China Morning Post* reports](), the team used a DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone as a stand-in for such an aircraft for an experiment. Using a ground-based radar system, the team spotted the tiny drone thanks to the radiation emitted by a Starlink satellite, which was flying over the Philippines at the time. That's despite stealth aircraft being designed to be less visible to radar and reflect electromagnetic radiation better thanks to their unusual shapes. The team claims its new detection method is "unaffected by the target’s three-dimensional shape and surface material," according to the researchers' paper published last month in the *Journal of Signal Processing*, as quoted by the *SCMP*. That means the system could "provide significant advantages in detecting small and stealth targets," in a potential edge for the Chinese military on the battlefield. ## Stealth Pack This idea is that when an aircraft passes between a satellite and an antenna back on the ground, it can scatter the satellite's electromagnetic waves — ripples that can be picked up by ground-based radar to identify targets. Thanks to the thousands of Starlink satellites that have been launched by SpaceX so far, scientists are now hoping to use disturbances in the high-frequency radio signals to track stealth aircraft. It's a surprising new avenue of research, especially given Chinese animosity towards the Elon Musk-led company's broadband constellation. Back in 2022, the [*South China Morning Post* reported]() that Chinese researchers were developing ways to [take down Starlink satellites]() if they were to ever become a threat to national security. For now, the team has only tested their method on a drone that flew at relatively low altitudes, and it remains to be seen if Starlink radiation could reveal larger and harder-to-spot targets such as stealth aircraft. Besides, as the *SCMP* points out, China is already using anti-stealth radar along its coast to identify and track US fighter jets. But it's a clever idea nonetheless. Instead of shooting Starlink satellites out of the sky, the constellation could be used to aid the Chinese military instead. **More on Starlink:** *[Military Leaders in Huge Trouble After Bolting a Starlink Terminal to a Warship for Unrestricted WiFi]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()