How India's New Air Defence Punctures Stealth Tech Of 5th-Gen F-35, Su-57 Jets

Last Updated:January 12, 2026, 17:46 IST

The new anti-stealth radar grid will significantly improve India's ability to detect and counter 5th-generation fighters such as the US F-35, Russia's Su-57 and China's J-35

India has developed what officials describe as an anti-stealth radar grid. (File Photo/Reuters)

In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, the need to modernise India’s air defence architecture became increasingly evident. Responding to emerging aerial threats, the government announced Mission Sudarshan Chakra, under which the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), along with other defence agencies, has been tasked with developing next-generation radar technologies to counter advanced and stealth platforms.

The push comes at a time when the threat from stealth aerial systems, including fifth-generation fighter jets, drones and cruise missiles, is rapidly growing. China, in particular, operates a sizeable fleet of stealth aircraft and unmanned platforms. These systems are designed with a very low radar cross-section, enabling them to evade conventional radars and air defence networks, thereby offering a significant operational advantage during conflict.

Global conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war and recent military escalations involving Gaza and Iran have further accelerated demand for stealth warplanes, drones and hypersonic cruise missiles. Several countries are now racing to develop fifth-generation fighters and advanced missile systems. India, too, has stepped up its efforts, pushing forward the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme while simultaneously strengthening counter-stealth capabilities.

In a significant breakthrough, India has developed what officials describe as an anti-stealth radar grid, a move expected to give the country’s air defence system a decisive technological edge. At the heart of this emerging architecture is the Passive Coherent Location Radar (PCLR), now being integrated as a critical element of the national Low Observable Detection Network (LODN). The network is designed to detect and track modern stealth and low-observable aerial threats that typically exploit gaps in traditional radar coverage.

India’s evolving air defence framework is multi-layered, linking sensors operating across different frequency bands and detection principles. This includes existing and proposed VHF-band surveillance radars, long-range low-level radars and systems such as the Vostok-D. The induction of PCLR is expected to close key detection gaps traditionally exploited by stealth aircraft.

Unlike conventional radar systems, PCLR operates on a completely different principle. It does not emit any radio frequency signals of its own. Instead, it passively uses signals already present in the environment, particularly commercial FM radio broadcasts. When an aircraft or drone passes through the coverage area, it disturbs or reflects these signals. The system analyses these disruptions to detect and track the target, allowing continuous surveillance without revealing its own location.

Air defence systems are designed to detect, track and neutralise hostile aircraft, missiles and drones before they can strike critical assets. They typically comprise detection sensors, command-and-control centres and interceptor weapons such as missiles or guns. Once a target is detected, data on its speed, direction and altitude is relayed to command centres, which then decide whether to track or engage the threat.

India’s requirement for robust air defence is driven by its long borders and persistent security challenges from neighbouring countries, alongside the growing use of missiles and drones in modern warfare. The country already operates a mix of indigenous and imported systems, including the Akash missile system, S-400 Triumf, Barak-8 and SPYDER, providing layered protection across varying ranges and altitudes.

Defence analysts say the new anti-stealth radar grid will significantly improve India’s ability to detect and counter 5th-generation fighters such as the US F-35, Russia’s Su-57 and China’s J-35. PCLR is configured as a passive multistatic radar, with multiple receivers deployed across different locations to track the same target from various angles. According to the Indian Defence Research Wing, this distributed architecture makes the system extremely difficult to locate, target or disable, as there is no single transmitter that can be attacked.

Another key advantage lies in its use of low-frequency signals. Modern stealth aircraft are primarily optimised to evade high-frequency radars, but are far less effective against low-frequency bands, enhancing the effectiveness of systems like PCLR. Its fully passive nature also makes it nearly invisible to electronic surveillance and immune to anti-radiation missiles, which typically home in on radar emissions. Conventional jamming techniques are of limited use, as disrupting FM broadcast bands on a large scale is both technically challenging and politically sensitive.

Within the broader LODN framework, PCLR is intended to complement, rather than replace, traditional radar systems. VHF radars provide early warning, higher-frequency radars offer precision tracking and weapon guidance, while PCLR adds a silent layer of detection and confirmation, improving accuracy through sensor fusion and reducing false alarms.

The system is currently undergoing integration trials, focusing on sensor fusion, command-and-control interfaces and real-time coordination with existing radar assets.

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