The Stealthy Gallium War
But the Russians are squeezing them in, building L Band detectors into the wings of its latest aircraft, particularly the still-developmental Sukhoi PAK T-50, which is planned to be about as stealthy as the JSF. The L Band radar is in the leading edge of the fighter’s wing. It is an AESA radar that is under development by Tikhomirov NIIP, Russia’s leading radar house located about twenty five miles from Moscow. If the Russians are successful there are potentially dramatic consequences: their newest fighters will be able to detect US stealth aircraft (F-22, F-35), jam their weapons and their radar, and close in for a kill. In short, the Russians could have the potential to blow out the US stealth program.
The secret sauce the Russians need to get there are a new generation of Transmit and Receive modules based on Gallium Nitride technology.
China and Russia, while not always comfortable in sharing technology, cooperate. It is a major concern in Washington where a special committee in the Pentagon, known as the
Low Observable–Counter Low Observable Committee that monitors stealth and applications that use this technology such as night vision, electro-optical sensors and radars. The Lo-Clo committee is a Tri-Service agency. It recently is said to have intervened to help
block the sale to China of a Germany-based company that builds sophisticated coating technology equipment enabling Gallium Nitride military applications.
