Chinese new radar system immune to radar killer missiles.

The China's maritime early warning system appears to be immune to "radar killer" missiles and is reported to be capable of detecting stealth aircraft, according to its development team led by Chinese academician Liu Yongtan.

Radar expert Liu Yongtan (right) and defence engineering expert Qian Qihu were given the 2018 State Preeminent Science and Technology Award on January 08 (Picture Source: Visual China Group)

The maritime radar system, developed by a team led by Chinese academician Liu Yongtan, can detect naval and aerial hostiles hundreds of kilometres away under any weather condition according to an interview given by the developer to Chinese media. It features high-frequency electromagnetic waves that have long wavelengths and wide beams, Liu said in an interview with the Naval and Merchant Ships magazine published this month.

While electromagnetic waves emitted by a normal radar travel in straight lines and, since the Earth is round, cannot help see what is beyond the horizon, the high-frequency ones used by Liu's radar travel along the sea surface, and he said this makes it possible to detect and monitor vessels and aircraft beyond visual range.

The long wavelengths used by the system mean it could also detect stealth aircraft, Liu said. This is because current stealth aircraft are mainly designed to hide from microwaves and not waves of longer wavelengths, experts said. The radar can also avoid attacks from anti-radiation missiles, thanks to the waves' wide beams because such missiles cannot carry antenna large enough (to track them), Liu said.

A land-based version of the system can detect naval and aerial hostiles hundreds of kilometres away, which helps expand China's maritime early warning and defence depth, Liu said. Variants of the system can also be equipped on ships, providing them with early warning capabilities in the high seas with a much farther detection range, he said.