Key Point – China recently showcased new radar systems, like CETGC’s JY-27V, claiming they can detect and track advanced US stealth fighters such as the F-35 and F-22, potentially challenging an era of American stealth dominance.
-This development occurs as stealth technology proliferates globally with programs like the multinational GCAP/Tempest.
-In response, while the US Air Force develops its sixth-generation F-47 NGAD, Lockheed Martin has proposed “supercharging” existing F-22s and F-35s with NGAD-derived technologies to create “fifth-generation plus” capabilities at a lower cost.
-However, questions remain whether these upgraded aircraft can effectively counter China’s newest anti-stealth defenses.
Is the Era of American Stealth Dominance Over? China Says Yes –
Earlier this month, China showcased a number of new radar detection systems — some of which the country touted as capable of defeating even the United States’ most advanced stealth aircraft.
The information came as part of the 11th World Radio Detection and Ranging Exposition, a radar expo held in China.
Among the equipment showcased at the expo, the one that attracted the most attention was one, according to its Chinese builders, that can detect and track American F-35 and F-22 stealth fighters.
One of these is the JY-27V radar system, built by China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, or CETGC, a Chinese state-owned corporation.
“Another highlight of the event is the JY-27V high-mobility meter-wave air surveillance radar,” Global Times, a Chinese state-owned online newspaper, explained, quoting a CETC employee familiar with the system.
“This next-generation meter-wave anti-stealth radar incorporates three advanced technologies: a low-frequency band, a high-power aperture and sophisticated intelligent algorithms. These features enable precise detection of stealth targets, leaving them nowhere to hide, the CETC expert said.”
The company lists many technologies available for purchase on its website.
Under the electronic equipment section, dozens of land and ocean-based radars, electronic warfare elements, communications systems, military acoustic equipment, as well as “Security & Secrecy” equipment are also listed.
Stealthy Proliferation
Though the United States is currently the world’s leader in producing stealthy aircraft, several other countries have made rapid strides in stealth technology.
One initiative, a tripartite initiative between the U.S.’s BAE Systems, Italy’s Leonardo, and Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries called Tempest, has banded together to field an advanced sixth-generation fighter that will replace the fourth-generation aircraft currently in their inventories.
Recent reports have indicated Saudi Arabia may be interested in joining the Tempest program. Whether Riyadh’s deep pockets can offset its dearth of aerospace experience compared to the other three Tempest patterns remains to be seen.
Recent video leaks, allegedly showing China’s next-generation aerospace projects, have also caused a stir, further evidence that the American stranglehold on stealth technology may be coming to an end.
F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II: Into the Stealth Sunset?
Regardless of whether advanced fighters like the F-22 Raptor or F-35 Lightning II are now obsolete due to recent advancements in Chinese radar detection technology and other sophisticated sensors, the future of the F-22 remains uncertain.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the end of the Cold War, and the subsequent reduction in defense budgets, Boeing and Lockheed Martin closed down the F-22 production line. Instead of the hundreds of F-22s the U.S. Air Force originally intended to buy — some sources list this as high as 750 units — the two aerospace and defense firms built less than 200 of the jets.
And with the United States Air Force recently announcing the selection of the F-47, the advanced sixth-generation fighter that may be the Air Force’s last manned fighter, the F-22’s fate appears to be sealed — or is it?
Or Instead — Supercharged on the Cheap?
Recent comments from Lockheed Martin‘s CEO, Jim Taiclet, have shed some light on the company’s plan to ensure the F-22 remains a relevant platform despite the Pentagon’s recent announcement regarding the Next Generation Air Dominance platform.
According to recent reporting, Taiclet would like to upgrade the F-22 and F-35 — with an enhanced F-22 Raptor and F-35 akin to a top-of-the-line sports car. “There are techniques and capabilities … that were developed for [our NGAD bid] that we can now apply here,” Taiclet said, as per Defense News. “We’re basically going to take the [F-35′s] chassis and turn it into a Ferrari.”
Taiclet said souping up fifth-generation fighters like this would allow Lockheed to deliver “80% of the capability, potentially, at 50% of the cost per unit aircraft.”
“Eventually, there’ll be 3,500 of those [F-35] chassis out there at various stages of technology and capability [worldwide],” Taiclet added. “We think we can get most of the way to sixth-gen at half the cost.”
Can The F-22 and F-35 Stay Aheard of China?
Can the F-22 Raptor remain relevant in a world increasingly dominated by newer, more advanced, in theory, more capable sixth-generation fighters like the F-47? Would an extensive makeover like the one suggested by Lockheed’s CEO be feasible — and if it is feasible, could it offer capabilities at a lower cost, as Taiclet suggests?
These questions, and others, remain unanswered for now. However, in an era in which the Department of Defense is both wrangling with ending older defense projects as well as pivoting to face the Indo-Pacific rather than Europe, there may be space for an up-gunned — and affordable — fifth-generation-plus category of aircraft.
However, that raises another question: will those upgraded fighters be enough to survive China’s newest radar defenses?
For now, at least, that question, too, remains unanswered.
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
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SGT Danny V
May 31, 2025 at 9:25 pm
WHY do we keep believing the BS propaganda of the. Chinese ( amd Russians)????
If they can detect US stealth weapons and potentially intercept or defeat them , WHY are they still building ” stealth planes” of their own???
Because even if they. An detect stealth , they should also know the US and western forces CAN also, which defeats their J-20s, J-35s and H-20 bomber platforms!
The fact is they can detect stealth but not at a range that they can STOP a stealth aircraft from launching missiles or smart bombs during an attack. They also cannot prevent same stealth aircraft from finding weak points in their air defense and exploit it