✈️ China tracks US stealth fighters using Starlink, China’s nuclear submarine sightings in Taiwan Strait show advanced tech, Amazon mandates employees in office five days/week

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Chinese researchers have found an innovative way to use SpaceX Starlink satellite constellations to detect aircraft, like stealth fighters, passively. According to Chinese media, this was achieved by effectively detecting the “shadow” of an object between the detector and the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the satellites.

The team behind the discovery reportedly used a DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone to simulate a stealth fighter and conduct their experiment to achieve this. This drone was chosen as it has roughly the same radar cross-section as something like an American F-22. Dive deeper into this Must-Read.

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🍳 Frying pan-sized detector could track US stealth fighters using Starlink, claims China

If true, the experiment, conducted off the coast of Guangdong in the South China Sea, could revolutionize stealth aircraft detection. The Chinese government’s State Radio Monitoring Centre oversaw the experiment, and the results were peer-reviewed before publication.

Stealth aircraft, like the F-22, are designed to reduce radar reflection through clever geometric shapes and radar-absorbing paints. This combination of technologies reduces the “size” of the objects on radar equipment, hopefully masking their true nature.

The basic idea is that when an aircraft flies through the space between Starlink satellites and ground antennas, it can cause forward scattering of the satellites’ electromagnetic waves, which can disrupt normal communication signals.

☢️ China’s nuclear submarine sightings in Taiwan Strait show advanced tech: Report

Several sightings of what looks like Type 094 submarines in the Taiwan Strait suggests that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has boosted the technology and number of its nuclear submarines.

The sightings also hint at the PLA having at least two ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) and their crews on standby to act as deterrents in the case of an emergency.

These suggestions were made in a military magazine published by the Shaanxi Association for Science and Technology. It should be noted that the sightings of Chinese nuclear submarines have been a matter of debate, and it is unclear which variants have been sighted at what locations.

🧑🏽‍💻 Amazon’s shift: First big tech to mandate employees in office five days a week

Starting January 2025, Amazon aims to have all employees back full-time. Amazon’s CEO, Andy Jassy, sent a memo on September 16 stating that corporate staff must work at the office five days a week.

The decision represents a significant change from Amazon’s previous return-to-work policy, which mandated that corporate employees be in the office at least three days per week.

The employees have time until January 2 to comply with the new policy set by the company.

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The answer is: 2.63

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