China has put the spotlight on its advanced radars, highlighting improvements in its ability to track US stealth aircraft at an industry expo, according to state media. The hardware on display at the three-day World Radar Expo in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing included the long-range SLC-7, JY-26 and LC-8E systems, state-run Global Times reported on Friday. Each of these systems can identify and track stealth aircraft, which are designed to avoid detection and carry out precision strikes against key military assets. Song Zhongping, a Hong Kong-based military commentator and a former People’s Liberation Army instructor, said China was putting more attention on radars as China seeks to improve its ability to identify enemy targets amid various military threats. “China is developing even more advanced systems such as metric wave, quantum and laser radars to further improve Chinese military’s tracking capabilities,” Song said. He said China aimed to integrate radar systems throughout the country in a single early-warning network. The expo, which ends on Saturday, showcases both military and civilian equipment for aerospace, aviation, shipping and detection. China’s quest to have more advanced anti-stealth radars came as countries around the world are researching and buying stealth fighters or drones to boost their defences. The SLC-7, developed by the Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology, is a long-range surveillance radar that can detect and track multiple targets at the same time, withstand saturation attacks, adapt to jamming, and rapidly identify targets, according to the Global Times . The JY-26 is called the “F-22 killer” and can also identify and track other stealth objects like the B-2 bomber and F-35 stealth fighter jets. The YLC-8E can detect and track aircraft more than 500km (310 miles) away as well as missile threats out to ranges of over 700 km. The Global Times reported that the three systems were only a small portion of China’s anti-stealth radar family.
