China’s latest 6G experiment turns a classic vulnerability of stealth aircraft into an asset, capturing hostile radar pulses and feeding them back into the jet as usable electrical power. Instead of simply trying to disappear from view, the new “smart surface” promises to bend, absorb and recycle electromagnetic energy in ways that could reshape both air combat and future wireless networks. It is a glimpse of a battlefield where every radar ping, radio link and navigation signal is part of a single programmable fabric.
From radar threat to airborne power source
The core idea behind the Chinese 6G surface is deceptively simple: treat enemy radar not only as a tracking threat but also as a free energy stream. By coating a stealth jet in panels that can capture and convert incoming electromagnetic waves, engineers aim to turn each radar hit into a trickle of electricity that can support onboard systems, sensors and communications. Instead of wasting that energy as heat or scattered reflections, the aircraft would fold it back into its own power budget, especially during high-intensity operations when radar exposure is greatest.
Researchers describe this technology as a “smart surface” that can both manipulate and harvest electromagnetic fields, a concept that sits at the heart of emerging 6G architectures. Reporting on the project notes that the surface is designed to let stealth jets convert hostile radar beams into electrical power while still maintaining low observability, effectively merging energy capture with electronic warfare and wireless networking. If it works at scale, the same principle could extend to drones, missiles and even ground vehicles, all quietly charging themselves from the very systems trying to find them.
How a 6G “smart surface” actually works
Under the skin, the technology relies on a dense grid of tiny elements that can be tuned in real time to shape and absorb radio waves. Each cell in this reconfigurable layer can adjust its electrical properties, changing how it reflects, refracts or soaks up incoming signals across different frequencies. When configured for energy harvesting, the surface routes captured power into rectifying circuits that turn high frequency radar pulses into direct current, which can then feed batteries, capacitors or specific subsystems on the aircraft. The same hardware can be reprogrammed in microseconds to prioritize stealth, jamming or communications instead of power capture.
Engineers describe this class of technology as a reconfigurable intelligent surface, or RIS, a concept that has “increasingly attracted attention” in wireless research because it allows the environment itself to become part of the network. One study on secure unmanned aerial vehicle links explains how RIS panels can be used to bend and optimize radio paths in three dimensions, improving coverage and security in the presence of eavesdroppers. China’s 6G surface applies the same programmable physics to a combat aircraft, but adds an energy harvesting layer that turns the jet’s outer shell into both a shield and a power plant.
Chinese labs race ahead on 6G military applications
The radar-to-electricity surface is not an isolated experiment, it sits within a broader Chinese push to weaponize 6G-era technologies. Earlier this year, Chinese researchers unveiled what they described as the world’s first 6G powered electronic warfare system, a platform that uses ultra wideband signals and advanced processing to detect, jam and deceive adversary sensors. That project was presented as a major leap in integrating communications, sensing and attack functions into a single, software defined architecture that can adapt on the fly to changing threats.
According to reporting on that work, Chinese researchers framed the system as a “revolutionary electronic warfare weapon” that leverages 6G style waveforms and processing to outpace traditional radar and jamming suites. The same article highlighted how this approach blurs the line between civilian and military 6G research, since many of the underlying components, from high frequency antennas to AI driven signal analysis, are shared across both domains. The new smart surface fits neatly into that pattern, turning a stealth jet into a node in a larger 6G battle network rather than a standalone platform.
Turning the aircraft skin into a 6G node
What makes the Chinese smart surface especially disruptive is its ambition to merge stealth, communications and power management into a single layer of hardware. Instead of treating the aircraft’s skin as passive insulation, designers are effectively transforming it into a distributed antenna array that can talk, listen and harvest energy at the same time. In one configuration, the surface can redirect radar waves away from the source to reduce detection, in another it can amplify friendly signals to extend range, and in a third it can quietly siphon off power from any strong beam that hits it.
Reports on the project emphasize that the same surface is meant to support future 6G communications systems, including potential links to communication satellites and other airborne nodes. That means a stealth jet coated in this material could act as a relay or sensor hub in a wider 6G mesh, passing data between satellites, drones and ground forces while drawing part of its operating power from the very radars trying to track it. In effect, the aircraft becomes a flying base station, a stealth platform and an energy harvester, all orchestrated by software that can reprogram the surface in real time.
RIS as the backbone of future 6G networks
The military use case sits on top of a civilian trend that is already reshaping how engineers think about wireless infrastructure. Instead of relying solely on more powerful base stations and denser antenna grids, 6G planners are looking at coating buildings, walls and even street furniture with smart electromagnetic surfaces that can steer and shape signals. These reconfigurable panels promise to turn dead zones into coverage, reduce interference and cut energy use by guiding radio waves along optimal paths rather than blasting power in all directions.
Technical analysis of these systems describes smart electromagnetic surfaces and RIS as an “optimal low cost design” for integrated communications, sensing and power delivery, with some researchers predicting that the surface will be the transmission channel in future 6G deployments. In that vision, the environment itself becomes programmable, with walls and facades acting as giant, software controlled reflectors and harvesters. China’s radar converting aircraft skin is essentially a high end, weaponized version of the same idea, tuned for survivability and power capture instead of urban coverage and battery free sensors.
From lab demo to stealth jet: what we know so far
Public reporting on the Chinese smart surface suggests that the technology has moved beyond theory into prototype hardware, although full scale deployment on operational jets remains unverified based on available sources. Descriptions of the system highlight its ability to transform electromagnetic waves into usable electricity while also supporting “electromagnetic cooperative stealth,” a phrase that points to coordinated control of reflections across the aircraft body. The surface is said to be capable of both energy harvesting and signal manipulation, allowing it to contribute to jamming and deception as well as power generation.
One detailed account explains that Chinese scientists have built a smart surface that can transform radar signals into power while coordinating how the aircraft appears on enemy sensors. Another report notes that the technology could help power future communications systems and shift the dynamics of electronic warfare by reducing the need for dedicated generators and heavy batteries on stealth platforms. Together, these accounts paint a picture of a system that is still in development but already advanced enough to demonstrate integrated energy capture and stealth control in controlled settings.
Electronic warfare, reimagined for the 6G era
Electronic warfare has traditionally been a game of brute force, with aircraft and ships blasting out powerful jamming signals to blind enemy radars and communications. The 6G smart surface points to a more surgical approach, where platforms quietly reshape the electromagnetic environment instead of simply overwhelming it. By selectively absorbing, redirecting or re radiating energy, a stealth jet could confuse tracking systems, hide in clutter or even create phantom targets, all while topping up its own power reserves from the surrounding signal field.
The earlier 6G powered electronic warfare system unveiled by Chinese researchers already hinted at this shift, using advanced waveforms and processing to integrate sensing, communication and jamming into a single platform. The new smart surface extends that logic to the physical shell of the aircraft, turning every square meter of skin into a potential tool for deception or energy capture. In a future conflict, the side that can best program its electromagnetic environment, rather than simply overpower it, is likely to enjoy a decisive advantage.
Civilian spillovers: from stealth jets to smart cities
Although the stealth jet application grabs headlines, the underlying RIS technology has clear civilian uses that go far beyond the battlefield. The same ability to harvest ambient electromagnetic waves could power low energy sensors in smart cities, industrial plants or remote infrastructure, reducing the need for batteries and maintenance. In dense urban environments, building facades coated with smart surfaces could both improve 6G coverage and supply trickles of power to cameras, air quality monitors or structural health sensors embedded in the walls.
Analysts note that the RIS technology behind China’s smart surface is explicitly designed to harvest ambient electromagnetic waves while enabling integrated sensing and communication. A related discussion of how China’s 6G smart surface works stresses that the same principles could be applied to civilian networks, where base station signals, Wi Fi and even broadcast transmissions become both data carriers and energy sources. In that scenario, the line between power grid and communications grid starts to blur, with every strong signal doubling as a potential charger for nearby devices.
Who is building it, and what they say it can do
Chinese scientists are at the center of this development, and public accounts highlight both their technical ambitions and the strategic framing of the work. Reports describe a team that has developed a “groundbreaking” smart surface capable of powering stealth jets by converting radar signals into electricity, while also manipulating how those jets appear on enemy screens. The project is presented as part of a broader national effort to lead in 6G technologies, from advanced antennas to integrated sensing and communications platforms.
One overview notes that Chinese scientists have developed a smart surface that can both power stealth jets and support sophisticated electromagnetic manipulation. Another account emphasizes that the same research community is also behind the earlier 6G powered electronic warfare system, underscoring how closely linked these projects are. Together, they signal a coordinated push to embed 6G style capabilities across China’s military platforms, from the software in their jammers to the very materials covering their airframes.
6G’s broader promise: merging physical and digital worlds
The radar harvesting surface also fits into a wider narrative about what 6G is supposed to deliver beyond faster downloads. Some experts predict that 6G will blur the lines between the physical and digital worlds, enabling applications like holographic communications, pervasive sensing and real time digital twins of entire cities or battlefields. In that vision, every object, from a car to a drone to a building, is both a data source and a network node, constantly exchanging information and energy with its surroundings.
Reporting on the Chinese smart surface notes that Some predict 6G will blur these boundaries to an unprecedented degree, with companies like German electronics group Rohde & Schwarz already exploring the measurement and testing tools needed for such systems. In that context, China’s radar converting aircraft skin is not just a military curiosity, it is an early example of how 6G era materials and architectures could make the electromagnetic environment itself programmable, harvestable and tightly integrated with digital control systems.
Strategic stakes for China and its rivals
For China, being first to field a practical radar harvesting surface would reinforce its claim to leadership in both 6G and advanced military technology. A stealth jet that can recharge part of its systems from enemy radar and act as a 6G node would be harder to track, more autonomous and better connected than current platforms. It would also complicate the planning of rival militaries, which would have to assume that every radar emission not only risks revealing their own position but might also be feeding power and data to the aircraft they are trying to detect.
At the same time, the dual use nature of RIS and smart surfaces means that any breakthrough in this area is likely to spill over into civilian infrastructure, from smart factories to connected vehicles. Analysts already describe smart electromagnetic surfaces as a key ingredient in future 6G deployments, where the surface will be the transmission channel rather than just a passive backdrop. If China can industrialize the materials and control systems needed for its stealth jet coatings, it will also be well placed to export similar technologies for commercial 6G networks, shaping global standards and supply chains in the process.
What comes next for 6G powered aircraft skins
The path from laboratory prototype to operational fleet is rarely straightforward, and the 6G smart surface is no exception. Engineers will have to prove that the material can withstand the stresses of high speed flight, extreme temperatures and maintenance cycles while still delivering reliable energy harvesting and electromagnetic control. They will also need to integrate the surface with the aircraft’s power management and mission systems, so that the jet can decide in real time when to prioritize stealth, communications, jamming or power capture based on the tactical situation.
Even with those challenges, the direction of travel is clear. China is already experimenting with 6G powered electronic warfare platforms and radar converting smart surfaces, and its researchers are deeply engaged in the broader RIS and smart electromagnetic surface ecosystem. As more details emerge about how the technology could help power future systems, rivals will face a strategic choice: race to develop their own programmable skins and smart environments, or risk falling behind in a contest where the battlefield itself is becoming a reconfigurable, energy rich network.
More from MorningOverview