Key Points and Summary – China is claiming major breakthroughs in anti-stealth technology, potentially rendering U.S. aircraft like the F-22 obsolete.
-Recent reports in state-linked media detail the mass production of a “photon catcher,” a key component for quantum radar capable of detecting even single photons reflected off stealth aircraft.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Sept. 20, 2025) The United States Air Force F-22 Demo Team performs at the 2025 Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana Air Show aboard NAS Oceana, Sept. 20, 2025. The show’s theme celebrated 250 years of America’s navy and featured performances highlighting the precision, power, and innovation of naval aviation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Oliver McCain Vieira)
-Additionally, China claims its J-16 fighters successfully “locked on” to U.S. F-22s.
-While these claims are concerning, significant skepticism remains due to the lack of verifiable proof and the potential propaganda motives of the Hong Kong-based news source, which is owned by a mainland Chinese tech giant.
Has China Rendered Stealth Obsolete?
In a hypothetical future war between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), among the most crucial weapons systems in the American arsenal will be stealth warplanes, namely 5th-generation fighters like the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and Lightning II along with 4th Generation bombers like the Northrop B-2 Spirit (and if all goes according to plan, the Spirit’s 6th-generation successor, the B-21 Raider). (Not to be outdone, of course. The PRC is producing its own stealth warbirds like the Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang J-35.)
However, if the latest boasts from Beijing are to be believed, the Chinese have developed technologies that have rendered American stealth obsolete. How credible are these claims?
In 2 Words: ‘Photon Catcher’
These disturbing developments come to via two articles in the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP):
(1) “China mass producing next-gen quantum radar detector to track stealth aircraft like F-22” by Zhang Tong, published on October 14, 2025; and (2) “China ‘showed integrated combat capabilities in locking on US fifth-generation jets’” by Yuanyue Dang, published on October 17. The blurbs underneath the titles of these pieces read respectively as follows: “‘Photon catcher’ can detect smallest unit of energy and is seen as paving way for major projects like quantum communication networks,” and “A PLA J-16 fighter reportedly chased away two foreign planes– believed to be US F-22s – from its air defence identification zone last year.”
The U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team performs during the 2025 Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Air Show in San Diego, Sept. 27, 2025. The F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team performs precision aerial maneuvers at Air Shows across the world to demonstrate the unique capabilities of the world’s premier 5th generation fighter aircraft. America’s Air Show 2025 is a unique and incredible opportunity to witness Marine and joint aviation capabilities, civilian performers and the world-famous Blue Angels; to celebrate the 250th birthday of the Marine Corps alongside Marines and to see first-hand the innovative spirit of the Marine Corps through emerging technologies and forward-thinking. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jordan Searls)
For the benefit of our readers unwilling and/or unable to cough up their hard-earned money that gets past SCMP’s subscription paywall, we can turn to UK-reporter Aaron Spray, who digs deeper into the PRC’s claims in an October 15 article for Aerospace Global News titled “Chinese single-photon device claimed to unmask F-22 fighters.”
In essence, this “photon catcher” (not to be confused with photon torpedoes, for the sake of any Star Trek fans reading this) is “the world’s first ultra-low noise, single-photon detector,” which is being built in Anhui Province and reportedly has four channels that are versatile enough to have uses ranging from daily communications to national defense.
Thus far, there has been no indication of its range or real-world capabilities.
Significance and Implications
As a quick Science 101 review, a photon is the smallest unit of energy, a massless, elementary particle that is a quantum of the electromagnetic field.
If the claims in the SCMP piece are to be believed, this new device can actually detect a single photon.
The device is made by QuantumCTek, a company specializing in the area of commercialized quantum information technology (QIT), based in Anhui’s provincial capital city of Hefei.
The company’s detector project head honcho, Fang Yuqiang, states that the design boosts the maximum detection efficiency from 25% to 35%.
As a testament to the technology’s versatility, the device will also supposedly act as an enabler for Chinese ambitions in the areas of next-generation space-ground integrated quantum communication networks, deep-space exploration, and high-precision laser radar.
Mr. Spray hastens to point out that “While the Chinese article does not explicitly state it can be used for detecting stealth aircraft, it is believed that it is the main purpose and not an afterthought. SCMP clarifies the implication that it is built to detect the F-22’s extremely weak laser signals reflected due to its radar-absorbent materials. The F-22 has a radar cross-section of ~0.0001 m², making it nearly invisible to radar from certain aspects.”
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor assigned to the 90th Fighter Squadron soars over Joint Base Elmendorf-
Richardson during ARCTIC EDGE 2025 (AE25), Aug. 18, 2025. AE25 provided Special Operations Command North the
opportunity to test a range of capabilities and response options to deter, disrupt, degrade, and deny competitor
activity in the Arctic in support of globally integrated layered defense of the homeland. AE25 is a NORAD and
U.S. Northern Command-led homeland defense exercise designed to improve readiness, demonstrate
capabilities, and enhance Joint and Allied Force interoperability in the Arctic. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st
Class Gracelyn Hess)
Previous PRC Stealth Killer Claims
This certainly wouldn’t be the first time that the SCMP has published reports claiming that Beijing has developed the ability to negate America’s stealth technology advantages.
Back on November 27, 2023, Stephen Chen wrote a report for that newspaper indicating that China’s hypersonic missiles—capable of Mach 6 speeds—had shot down “‘a B-21-like stealth platform and its companion drone’” in a war game simulation.
SCMP: Reliable Objective Journalism or Propaganda?
On the one hand, these Chinese anti-stealth technologies are definitely concerning and should not be taken lightly or treated with complacency.
On the other hand, one must consider the reliability and objectivity of the source.
SCMP, as already noted, is a Hong Kong-based news outlet, and press freedom in Hong Kong has been virtually non-existent since the implementation of the National Security Law in 2020.
(Though the handover of Hong Kong control from the United Kingdom to China had taken place back in 1997, the latter country had more or less left the British era freedoms and autonomy intact for the first couple of decades, as this reporter can vouch for based upon his 2011 visit to HK.)
What’s more, as Mr. Spray points out, SCMP is “owned by the mainland Chinese tech giant Alibaba.”
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He is also the author of the newly published book “Five Decades of a Fabulous Firearm: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beretta 92 Pistol Series.”
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