It's really just a case of being outdated right after commissioning. The Fujian aircraft has not even been commissioned yet, and the CCTV has already publicly disclosed the details of the J-35, and it has also confirmed that the J-35 uses China's original and unique metamaterial stealth technology, which directly surpasses the U.S. by one generation. Moreover, our chief engineer stated that the J-35's stealth performance is the best in the world, which is a desperate news for the United States.

What is metamaterial?

Before understanding metamaterial, let us first understand the defects of the stealth material used in the F-35. The F-35 uses a stealth coating developed by Lockheed Martin called HAVE GLASS V stealth coating.

This dark gray coating with a metallic sheen has dual functions of radar and infrared stealth. Lockheed Martin claims that HAVE GLASS V will have better wear resistance and durability than the previous generation stealth coating used on the F-22, significantly reducing the low observability (LO) maintenance requirements of the aircraft. However, the F-35 has frequently been reported to have problems with its stealth coating in high temperature and dry climates, with the coating wearing off faster than expected, so much so that there is coating peeling after each flight.

Actually, the F-35 is not only unsuitable for high temperature and dry climates, but also not resistant to salt and corrosion. Therefore, the F-35C stealth carrier-based aircraft deployed at sea for only half a year already has rust spots and peeling stealth coating. It is very concerning that such problems have existed for so long without any improvement, and the exorbitant military spending of the United States seems to be in vain.

That is why Chinese scientists skipped over the stealth coating and directly researched metamaterial technology.

Metamaterial is considered by the United States as a stealth technology used in sixth-generation aircraft, while now China's fifth-generation aircraft J-20A and J-35 have already adopted it. It must be said that China is indeed leading the United States by one generation in every aspect. For example, the J-10C uses the gallium nitride active phased array radar used in fifth-generation aircraft, which can lock onto the Rafale fighter at 200 kilometers away.

Metamaterial is an artificial composite structure or composite material that has extraordinary physical properties that natural materials do not possess. There are many types of metamaterials, and what we refer to here is artificial electromagnetic metamaterials.

How powerful is metamaterial actually?

We all know that the stealth of fighter jets does not mean that they are invisible to the eye. The stealth of fighter jets requires minimizing the reflection of radar waves, reducing the radar cross-section (RCS), and reducing the energy of radar echoes, thereby achieving target stealth. To achieve the purpose of stealth, radar-absorbing materials need to solve two problems: (1) the incident electromagnetic wave should not be reflected at the surface when it enters the absorbing material; (2) the incident electromagnetic wave should be completely absorbed by the electric loss or magnetic loss mechanisms within the absorbing material.

Naturally, there is no such perfect material, but artificial electromagnetic metamaterials can perfectly achieve this requirement. This is a new type of artificial composite material made up of sub-wavelength scale artificial "atoms" arranged periodically or non-periodically. By designing the geometric structure, size, and arrangement of the unit, the electromagnetic parameters of this kind of material can be arbitrarily and flexibly adjusted, allowing the designed metamaterial to exhibit special electromagnetic properties that natural materials do not have, such as negative permeability, negative permittivity, and negative refractive index, thus greatly enriching the methods and means of controlling electromagnetic waves.

In short, traditional fighter jet stealth coatings are like a very high-end "radar-absorbing sponge," whose core task is to absorb as much radar waves as possible to reduce the reflected signal. But we have already mentioned the disadvantages of this.

Metamaterial technology, on the other hand, involves designing countless microscopic structures smaller than the wavelength of radar waves on the material surface. These structures act like tiny lenses or mirrors. When radar waves touch this intelligent surface, metamaterials do not simply absorb them, but rather guide and manipulate the electromagnetic waves through carefully designed structures. For instance, it can prevent electromagnetic waves from reflecting and also avoid absorbing them, thus achieving a "negative refractive index" - guiding the electromagnetic waves around the object, or even distorting the radar waves into completely different signals to create false target illusions.

Moreover, metamaterial is integrated with the aircraft skin, thus reducing the load of the J-35. Unlike the F-35, which needs regular maintenance, this greatly improves the combat readiness rate of the J-35. Although nuclear-powered aircraft carriers have unlimited range, the F-35 gets rusty within half a year, which also affects combat capability.

Several Chinese stealth aircraft chief designers have revealed that metamaterial reduces the weight of the stealth structure by 50% and fundamentally solves the maintenance problem of traditional paint stealth, reducing the life cycle cost by 40%.

China's unique metamaterial internal structure

This means that even if the United States develops anti-stealth radar, it would be meaningless for our J-35 and J-20. Because our stealth technology is already on another dimension. This means that even if the J-35 goes deep into the U.S. Western Pacific bases, the U.S. warning radar would still have difficulty detecting it.

At present, the J-35 and the F-35C are not on the same level of fifth-generation aircraft. In addition to having the next-generation metamaterial stealth technology, the J-35 has a simple and smooth body design, thus possessing stronger stealth performance. As an air superiority fighter, it has more flexible maneuverability and supersonic cruise capability. In addition, the J-35 is equipped with China's most advanced gallium nitride active phased array radar and the latest developed PL-16 missile.

As for the F-35, due to its bulky body and excessive curves on the belly, the stealth performance from below is problematic. In addition, it lacks the ability for supersonic cruise, its radar is only gallium arsenide radar, and it is not an air superiority fighter. How can it compare with our J-35?

It's no wonder that the U.S. media say that once our J-35 is commissioned, the U.S. air superiority in the Western Pacific will be lost.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7555335843154543158/

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