Camouflage Today: Part 2- Modern Warfare

Human warfighters are not the sole users of battlefield camouflage, of course. Tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, trucks, Humvees, command tents, and so on typically use paint or fabric schemes, netting, and other covers in an attempt to blend into the background, reduce IR signatures, and escape detection, primarily from aerial reconnaissance – manned or unmanned aircraft – and satellites.

Because military vehicles quickly become covered in dirt, mud, or sand, paint schemes alone provide only marginal protection. Efforts also must be made to reduce reflectivity, so the vehicle does not “shine” or glitter in sunlight, a problem typically increased when the vehicle is wet. Netting, which is continuously being improved in design and materials, has been the best solution to date, although natural cover – from hiding beneath trees or in the shell of a building to covering the vehicle with leaves, branches, or even rubble – remains common.

The addition of IR suppressive materials provides added protection against both air and ground detection, but all such measures still leave the item being covered vulnerable to radar. As a result, the definition of camouflage has now been expanded through the introduction of stealth technologies, such as radar-defeating shapes and materials and electronic disruption of enemy detection and weapons guidance systems. But defeating electronic detection is a far greater challenge than fooling the human eye and brain.

Night vision goggles and weapon scopes, for example, have enabled military operations to continue at night, which historically provided cover to both forces on the move and those seeking rest and resupply. Traditional camouflage is useless against systems that use the heat produced by the human body and military equipment to locate potential targets. While IR-masking materials, from netting that also incorporates camouflage designs and colors for daytime concealment to thermal blankets and other materials, can help protect equipment – from computers to tanks – it is not enough. That also applies to humans, leading to research into how to block the detection of body heat through special materials for clothing and packs. The problem is doing so without “cooking” the wearer.

(Courtesy of http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/camouflage-today/)