- Star-Navi, a Shenzhen-based company, is now selling access to stealth drone technology that normally presents a multibillion-dollar barrier to entry in the form of a standard package containing a spray gun.
- This technology essentially makes a drone’s radar cross section smaller and harder to track on modern radars.
- The coatings are marketed as the XRAM-C series, with 3 different variants offered to handle different threat radar frequencies.
Although modern drone technology has evolved significantly from the rudimentary designs we first saw over a decade ago, it is becoming an increasingly important industry that most countries’ militaries can use and counter.
Two recent modern conflicts, including the war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the war between the United States and Iran, have shown that drones are effective and often inexpensive means of waging unconventional conflict that can often cause significant damage to a conventionally stronger adversary.
Star-Navi, a Chinese company based in Shenzhen, could have further improved the capabilities of multi-use and single-use drones by offering radar-absorbing coatings, usually reserved for the world’s most powerful militaries, and is selling them by the container to interested parties.
A growing problem in combating drones
As modern drones have advanced, both commercially and militarily, the technology to stop or block them has also become increasingly sophisticated.
Counter-drone measures, also known as Counter-UAS (C-UAS) technology, leverage a range of technologies to detect, track and jam or eliminate hostile attack or surveillance drones.
The U.S. Navy, for example, has invested in lasers to eliminate drone swarms, a capability that also has land-based applications.
Despite this, the most important part of neutralizing a drone is detecting it, and while RF sensors and cameras are convenient, most conventional approaches rely on radar to obtain a threat signature.
Smaller drones are already notoriously difficult to track, given their tiny cross-sections, and Star Navi’s offerings will make the situation even worse, potentially allowing small militias and militaries access to what is normally considered a multibillion-dollar trade secret by some of the world’s most powerful 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 anti-drone systems.
XRAM‑C112: Optimized for S and C bands, aiming to counter surveillance radar detection.
XRAM‑C113B: High-speed coverage on C and X bands, providing a broader solution to detection problems.
The company says the coating is tested for heat resistance at 250 degrees Celsius for 100 hours without degradation and is sold in 1kg, 5kg and 10kg containers as a general purpose offering. Relatively easy access to what was previously a closely guarded national secret for many traditional actors raises proliferation concerns, particularly given the risks of abuse.
Star-Navi is not the only player in a market that is also attracting interest from Turkish researchers, as well as more traditional American suppliers, including CFI Solutions and Intermat Defense; the latter supplies US military contractors, including Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
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