Science & technology | Hyperspectral camouflage

Better camouflage is needed to hide from new electronic sensors

A deadly game of hide and seek

Hot surfaces along with large radar cross-sections make military vehicles highly exposed to sensors and target acquisition systems. Vehicles therefore require advanced signature management equipment in order to achieve sufficient protection against detection and identification. Saab Barracudaís Mobile Camouflage System is a flexible solution providing multispectral protection for vehicles when moving or in a static position.
Image: Saab Dynamics

Camouflage ranks highly among the arts of war. Thanks to innovations such as fractal colouration patterns, which mimic nature by repeating shapes at different scales, the distance from which naked eyes can quickly spot soldiers wearing the best camouflage has shrunk, by one reckoning, by a fifth over the past two decades. That is impressive.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Now you see it. Now you don’t”

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