Stealth bomber's advantage could disappear in face of China's new radar
The system is capable of spotting the planes at a 60-mile range, according to reports.
Chinese researchers claim to have developed a "quantum radar" that can defeat the B-2 stealth bomber's cloak of invisibility.
The military-controlled China Electronics Technology Group (CTEC) say their new technology can easily detect stealth aircraft and is highly resistant to becoming jammed.
Reports say the radar was created by the Intelligent Perception Technology Laboratory of CTEC.
Conventional radar works by bouncing radio waves off an object and measuring the time taken for the waves to return, establishing the distance and speed of the object.
The B-2 is invisible to conventional radar due to its top-secret stealth technology, which involves the use of materials that can absorb and neutralise radar beams.
The theoretical basis of quantum radar depends on a phenomenon known as "quantum entanglement". This is the phenomenon observed in pairs of particles, in which any measurement taken of one is reflected by the other.
A quantum radar would generate an entangled pair of particles, fire one-half of particles towards an object and observe the remaining half to measure what is happening to the half that has been fired.
The B-2 would be visible to a radar using this technology, according to reports in the Sunday Times, which describes the radar as "detecting the shadow the aircraft casts as it flies".
A prototype lab-based version of the quantum radar was developed at York University by Dr Stefano Pirandola.
In February 2015, Dr Pirandola said full-scale, real-world applications of the technology were "some way off but would provide superior performance".
Reports of China's successful quantum radar program originated with the Global Times, which is an official media outlet of the Communist Party of China.
The B-2 bomber is capable of deploying nuclear weapons and has been part of the US Air Force's fleet since 1997. When development, support and spare parts costs are factored into the price of the aircraft, each of the 20 bombers is estimated to be worth almost $1bn (£770m).
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