Russian Institute Reveals New Tech to Detect US F-35, F-22 Jets

A Russian institute has found a way to detect enemy stealth aircraft lurking in its airspace by tracking its “radar shadow.”

Stealthy jets such as U.S.-made F-22s and F-35s dodge radars in two ways: aircraft shape that reflect radar signals away from the radar equipment, and a coating that absorbs the signals.

Russia’s A.L. Mints Radiotechnical Institute now has a simple solution to detect such aircraft: The sky is scanned to look for a region where no radar signals can be found. Meaning, the jet has either reflected it away, or its coating has absorbed it. Following this “radar shadow” will give Russia a way to pinpoint the jet’s location and speed.

Recently, Turkey’s Russian-built S-400 air defense system reportedly managed to detect F-22 and F-35 jets flying over the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea.