Cold War radars could reject small foil returns because a conventional fighter produced a much larger contact. The small radar signatures attributed to the F-35, F-22, Rafale, PAK FA, and J-20 might make that distinction less useful, allowing chaff or other small decoys to create many plausible high-speed contacts. A defending sensor would then need motion analysis or an infrared channel to identify the real aircraft. Stealth could make an old deception method useful again until multisensor detection adapts.
Notable Point · 13:23-16:43
Stealth can make chaff useful again
Stealth-sized radar returns may revive chaff as a decoy. Radar and infrared fusion would then begin another countermeasure cycle.