Musk‘s Starlink may expose stealth US bombers to Chinese military. But how?

Beijing considers the nearly ubiquitous network of Starlink satellites a threat. However, Chinese scientists now say they can use Elon Musk‘s satellites to their own advantage.

The scientists have recently shown that electromagnetic radiation from Starlink satellites allows the identification of stealth aircraft. To test this hypothesis, a group of researchers launched a bird-sized DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone, bearing specifications similar to those of a stealth fighter, off the coast of China.

According to reports by South China Morning Post (SCMP), even though the drone had all the characteristics of a stealth aircraft, researchers were able to detect the drone on their radar. Interestingly, radar used in the experiment did not emit any radio waves, eliminating the possibility of a radio echo.

Researchers believe that they were able to identify the craft because it was hit with electromagnetic radiation from a Starlink satellite that was passing over the Philippines at the time of the experiment.

The experiment still needs to be independently verified. However, if confirmed, it would give China and any other nation an unforeseen advantage. We’ve reached out to SpaceX for comment on the matter and will update the article once we receive a reply.

Wuhan University Professor Yi Jianxin, the team lead behind the report, noted that stealth aircraft, for example, US Air Force F-22s, hide their positions with absorbing coating and specific geometric shapes. However, Starlink’s signal, which covers nearly the entire planet, “provides significant advantages in detecting small and stealth targets.” Moreover, radar systems are often easily identifiable by adversaries.

Meanwhile, the Starlink network could allow the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to conceal its activities. The paper’s authors noted that the drones employed in the experiment operated at low altitudes, using small sized antennas. Detecting aircraft at higher altitudes could prove far more difficult.

SpaceX launched its first satellite in 2018 and introduced internet service in November 2020. Since then, the Starlink constellation of satellites has grown to about 7,000 spacecraft. Musk has pledged to increase SpaceX’s network of satellites to 12,000 by the year 2027.

The militarization of space has been picking up pace as the US Space Security and Defense Program (SSDP), a joint program between the Department of Defence (DoD) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), started looking for contractors who could provide the military and intelligence apparatus with effective ways to monitor man-made objects in orbit.