{"id":139930,"date":"2026-06-24T17:34:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T17:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2026\/06\/24\/china-studied-us-stealth-aircraft-and-learned-the-wrong-lessons\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:36:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:36:27","slug":"china-studied-us-stealth-aircraft-and-learned-the-wrong-lessons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/06\/24\/china-studied-us-stealth-aircraft-and-learned-the-wrong-lessons\/","title":{"rendered":"China studied US stealth aircraft \u2014 and learned the wrong lessons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then China\u2019s embrace of stealth aircraft technology is a compliment to American ingenuity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both awed by \u2014 and apprehensive about \u2014 U.S. stealth capabilities, China has invested heavily in developing stealth aircraft, as well as anti-stealth air defenses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But China has learned the wrong lessons from America\u2019s stealth program, according to U.S. Air Force analysis<\/a> released this month. China is convinced that advanced technology is the foundation of U.S. stealth capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in reality, the key to American success has been treating stealth as just one component of integrated aerial warfare, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China\u2019s \u201cassessments of U.S. stealth often diverge from technical reality and operational practice,\u201d said Maj. Derek Ecklebe, a U.S. Air Force officer and a fellow at the Air Force\u2019s China Aerospace Studies Institute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reality is that the U.S. treats stealth \u201cas a multifaceted capability that integrates technology with operational tactics to maintain air superiority,\u201d he said. \u201cStealth technology, while expensive, complex, and important, is only part of the equation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China is responding to U.S. stealth warfare with a mixture of fear and confidence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChinese views of stealth as an asymmetric yet counterable U.S. advantage have driven a bifurcated strategy: robust investments in layered air defenses and a rapid program to field domestically developed [low observability] aircraft,\u201d Ecklebe said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ironically, the U.S. military and intelligence agencies are often depicted as being fixated on technology at the expense of strategy and tactics. But in Ecklebe\u2019s view, it is China that is overemphasizing tech. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because Chinese experts believe that technology is at the heart of American stealth warfare, then it follows that the best defense against stealth is also technological. Thus, China has poured resources into developing anti-stealth sensors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chinese media and military journals suggest that better sensors, such as low-frequency radar, are the best countermeasure against stealth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese sources treat stealth as a technical problem to solve with new detection tools,\u201d Ecklebe said. \u201cThey present low-frequency radars, passive sensors, and terahertz sensors as potential solutions that could soon counter U.S. advantages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But these stealth-busting technologies are either unproven or have limitations, such as accuracy, filtering out clutter or vulnerability to electronic warfare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn practice, these systems face significant physical and operational constraints,\u201d said Ecklebe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonetheless, Chinese air defenses should not be underestimated, even against stealth aircraft like the F-35 and B-2. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat makes China\u2019s defenses formidable is not any single radar or missile, but rather their integration into a unified IADS [integrated air defense system],\u201d Ecklebe warned. \u201cThe PLA [People\u2019s Liberation Army] has prioritized multi-domain integrated operations, pulling data from low-frequency early-warning systems, passive detectors, and even satellites into shared command centers at the corps level.\u201d<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Viewers observe China’s J-35A stealth fighter model at the 2026 National Defense Military Technology Carnival in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, on April 25, 2026. (Costfoto\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This same enchantment with technology applies to China\u2019s own stealth aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China\u2019s J-35 \u2014 which looks remarkably like the U.S. F-35 \u2014 \u201creplicates features of the U.S. F-35 platform but prioritizes hardware metrics over U.S.-style software-defined adaptability coupled with [tactics, techniques and procedures] modernization,\u201d said Ecklebe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ecklebe suggests that China\u2019s perceptions of U.S. stealth aircraft \u2014 and their vulnerabilities \u2014 may be influenced by problems with Chinese stealth planes, which suffer from issues, such as unreliable engines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMirror-imaging may further contribute to these distortions, as PLA planners project domestic constraints, such as WS-10 and AL-31F engine reliability and modernization issues that limit J-10 and J-20 sortie rates, onto U.S. systems,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One question is whether Chinese misconceptions of U.S. stealth could increase the chance of war. If Chinese leaders are convinced that better sensors can neutralize American stealth airpower, then they may feel more emboldened to invade Taiwan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChinese strategists appear to view stealth not as an insurmountable barrier but as a factor that can be managed through overwhelming volume and integrated networks, leading to a deterrence posture that emphasizes rapid, decisive action to limit U.S. involvement,\u201d Ecklebe said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An Air Force researcher said China’s assessments of U.S. stealth capabilities “diverge from technical reality and operational practice.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":111001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":86,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[208,15,86,88],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3490],"class_list":["post-139930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-techwatch","category-news","category-pentagon-congress","category-your-military"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"LZFOTNPXDFCLDKMPX6ZY2IGA5A","arc_canonical_url":"\/global\/asia-pacific\/2026\/06\/24\/china-studied-us-stealth-aircraft-and-learned-the-wrong-lessons\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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