3,000-year-old silk weaving inspires China’s next-gen stealth radar-absorbing tech
The team believe this could be used to solve some of the long-term maintenance issues associated with stealth coatings.
Chinese researchers have allegedly found a novel way to solve long-term stealth coating integrity with an ancient silk-weaving technique called “jacquard weaving.” This method could, they claim, help solve issues with degradation of stealth coatings on aircraft in extreme environments like deserts or high humidity.
According to a paper released by the team, stealth fighters like the F-22 suffer from delaminating radar-absorbent coatings over time. This material is typically made of layers of special coatings and paints to deflect radar signals.
However, they can chip away when exposed to environmental stress or physical abrasion. This can even occur during high-speed flight, especially in desert sandstorms.