Chinese firm selling stealth 'core technology by the kilogram' to make drones almost invisible to radars — spray-on coating is almost affordable by F-117 standards, slashes reflected radar power by 50%

• Star-Navi, a Shenzhen-based company, is now selling access to stealth drone tech that normally has a multi-billion-dollar barrier to entry as a standard package containing a spray gun
• The tech essentially makes a drone's radar cross-section smaller and harder to track on modern radars
• The coatings are being marketed as the XRAM-C series, with 3 different variants being offered that deal with different threat radar frequencies.

While modern drone technology has evolved considerably from the rudimentary designs we first saw over a decade ago, it is becoming an increasingly important industry for the military in most countries to use and counter alike.

Two recent modern conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as the US-Iran war, have shown that drones are effective and often inexpensive ways to wage an unconventional conflict that can often cause significant damage to a conventionally stronger adversary.

A Shenzhen-based Chinese firm, Star-Navi, might have further enhanced the capabilities of both multi-use and single-use drones by offering radar-absorbing coatings, typically gatekept by the world's strongest militaries, and is selling them by the container to interested parties.

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A growing counter-drone problem

As modern drones have advanced, both commercially and militarily, the tech to stop or block them has also increasingly become more sophisticated.

Counter-drone measures, also known as Counter-UAS (C-UAS) tech, leverage a range of technologies to detect, track, and jam or take out hostile attack or surveillance drones.

The US Navy, for example, has invested in lasers to take out drone swarms, a capability with land-based applications as well.

Despite this, the most important part of neutralizing a drone is detecting it, and while RF sensors and cameras are handy, most conventional approaches rely on radar to obtain a threat signature.

Smaller drones are already notoriously hard to track, given their minute cross-sections, and Star Navi's offerings will further exacerbate the situation, potentially allowing smaller militias and militaries access to what is normally considered a multibillion-dollar trade secret by some of the world's strongest war machines.

Star-Navi's X-RAM-C series coating comes in 3 different variants, targeting different frequencies:

XRAM‑C105: Optimized for X and Ku bands, aimed at reducing the effectiveness of counter-drone systems.

XRAM‑C112: Optimized for S and C bands, aimed at countering surveillance radar detection.

XRAM‑C113B: Broadband coverage across C and X bands, offering a more broad-based solution to detection problems.

The company states that the coating is tested for heat endurance at 250 degrees Celsius for 100 hours without degradation and is sold in 1kg, 5kg, and 10kg containers as a general-purpose offering. The relatively easy availability of what was previously a closely guarded national secret for many traditional players raises proliferation concerns, especially given the potential for abuse.

Star-Navi is not the only player in a market that also sees interest from researchers from Turkey, as well as more traditional US-based suppliers, including CFI Solutions and Intermat Defense; the latter supplies US military contractors, including Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.

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