A university in China is developing military technology that could trick air defense systems into thinking that a missile is a passenger jet.
Research into the hi-tech camouflage is being carried out at Northwestern Polytechnical University in China, with details about the project recently being published in in the peer-reviewed Chinese Journal of Radio Science.
According to the South China Morning Post, the ‘golden veil’ technology will convince radars that a missile is a large civilian plane such as an Airbus A320.
The United States has already developed similar technology that can confuse defenses about the nature of an attack.
However, the researchers claim that their ‘golden veil’ is different to existing tech, as it can help missiles continuously switch between visible and stealth modes while in flight.
The ‘golden veil’ itself is made from carbon fiber materials which can change shape and size to confuse air defenses.
Chinese-developed ‘golden veil’ can make missiles look like passenger planes https://t.co/aLSkOFyQ4G
— Harold Gardner (@haroldlgardner) December 22, 2023
While computer technology already exists that can trick radar, the ‘golden veil’ is believed to be a cheaper option, as the instrument can simply be mounted on ships or vehicles.
“Electronic warfare has become more complex than ever. New electronic countermeasure equipment and tools are entering service at an unprecedented speed […] They are changing the face of war,” Zong Yali, Associate Professor of Radar Science with the Northwestern Polytechnical University, said.
The university team is now working on how the veil might be mass-produced.