The state corporation Rostec claims to have created a fundamentally new stealth material that can absorb a wide range of radio waves, which would significantly reduce the detectability of aircrafts.
Rostec reported that Ruselectronics, an integral company of its holding, created prototypes of a fundamentally new material capable of absorbing radio waves over a wide range of frequencies. This thin-film material can be used to manufacture aircraft parts thanks to a base of glass filaments with a metal core. This is the first Russian stealth material structural solution.
In the process of creating the radio-absorbing material, several layers of fiberglass were bonded together, based on thin filaments with a metal core in the glass insulation. Thanks to its exceptional characteristics, the new material absorbs up to 95% of incident electromagnetic radiation from radars and significantly hinders radar detection of an airborne object.
«The challenge of creating a structural material that absorbs radiation has long been a problem in the construction of modern military aircraft. Existing types of aircraft stealth coatings require periodic refurbishment, while fiberglass with a reduced reflection coefficient is maintenance-free. Our prototypes have already successfully passed the necessary factory tests,» said Alexei Dymovskikh, General Director of RM’s Central Design Bureau.
The stealth material was developed by the Central Design Bureau for Special Radio Materials (TsKB RM, part of Roselektronika) to manufacture engine compressor blades, one of the most visible parts in the radio band.
Depending on its cost and ease of production, such a material could easily be implemented in the construction of drones and guided munitions, reducing their radar signature and greatly hindering the work of air defense systems.
