China builds most advanced radar known as dragonfly eye to watch Taiwan

Chinese scientists have created the most advanced radar. The new radar was dubbed the "dragonfly eye." The new radar will watch Taiwan, where dangerous typhoons are born and from where a ballistic missile can be launched in the direction of mainland China.

The People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) announced the deployment of the Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter jet to the Chinese Air Defense (AD) Identification Zone to "track" foreign military aircraft, China Daily reported on August 15. The publication even exposed the pilot's name — Yang Chunlei.

Analysts of the US-based military agency Janes paid attention to the article in China's official newspaper. US experts noted that it was the first time when Beijing acknowledged the fact that Chengdu J-20 fighters carry out sorties into the air defense zone in order to monitor military aircraft of other countries.

The Chinese aircraft could be used to detect Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets operated by the United States, Japan and South Korea. The search and identification of stealth aircraft is a unique feature. The Americans did not know that the Chengdu J-20 could perform such a function.

The Chengdu J-20 is capable of "seeing” stealth aircraft owing to its onboard radar with an active phased array antenna (APAR). This is a state-of-the-art radar that can change radiation parameters — direction, frequency and phases — very quickly.

The radar uses a large number of autonomously controlled small units combined into an antenna array. Each antenna unit is controlled autonomously, which makes it possible to synthesize different phase beams. Electromagnetic waves emitted by each phased array antenna element are synthesized into "detection beams" based on the interference principle.

Outwardly, such a radar is reminiscent of the eyes of a dragonfly or a bee. The changing rate of scanning parameters enables the radar to capture several targets at a time. In addition, the APAR-equipped radar has a detection range nearly 30 percent greater than that of a conventional mechanical scanning radar.

It is worthy of note that the radar for the Chengdu J-20 aircraft was designed and manufactured entirely in China by China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC).