Marder 1A5 Mobile Camouflage System Barracuda

Multi-spectral camouflage is the use of

counter-surveillance Countersurveillance refers to measures that are usually undertaken by the public to prevent surveillance, including covert surveillance. Countersurveillance may include electronic methods such as technical surveillance counter-measures, which is ...

techniques to conceal objects from detection across several parts of the

electromagnetic spectrum The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of frequencies (the spectrum) of electromagnetic radiation and their respective wavelengths and photon energies. The electromagnetic spectrum covers electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging from ...

at the same time. While traditional

military camouflage Military camouflage is the use of camouflage by an armed force to protect personnel and equipment from observation by enemy forces. In practice, this means applying colour and materials to military equipment of all kinds, including vehicles, ...

attempts to hide an object in the

visible spectrum The visible spectrum is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visual perception, visible to the human eye. Electromagnetic radiation in this range of wavelengths is called ''visible light'' or simply light. A typical human eye wil ...

, multi-spectral camouflage also tries to simultaneously hide objects from detection methods such as

infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

, and millimetre-wave

radar imaging Imaging radar is an application of radar which is used to create two-dimensional images, typically of landscapes. Imaging radar provides its light to illuminate an area on the ground and take a picture at radio wavelengths. It uses an antenna and ...

. Among animals, both insects such as the eyed hawk-moth, and vertebrates such as

tree frog A tree frog (or treefrog) is any species of frog that spends a major portion of its lifespan in trees, known as an arboreal state. Several lineages of frogs among the Neobatrachia have given rise to treefrogs, although they are not closely relat ...

s possess

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

that works in the infra-red as well as in the visible spectrum.

History

Smerinthus ocellatus caterpillar on apple tree

The English zoologist

Hugh Cott Hugh Bamford Cott (6 July 1900 – 18 April 1987) was a British zoologist, an authority on both natural and military camouflage, and a scientific illustrator and photographer. Many of his field studies took place in Africa, where he was espec ...

, in his 1940 book ''

Adaptive Coloration in Animals ''Adaptive Coloration in Animals'' is a 500-page textbook about camouflage, warning coloration and mimicry by the Cambridge zoologist Hugh Cott, first published during the Second World War in 1940; the book sold widely and made him famous. The ...

'', wrote that some caterpillars such as the eyed hawk-moth ''

Smerinthus ocellatus ''Smerinthus ocellatus'', the eyed hawk-moth, is a European moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. The eyespots are not visible in resting position, whe ...

'', and

s such as the red-snouted treefrog '' Hyla coerulea'', are coloured so as to blend with their backgrounds whether observed in visible light or in infra-red. Cott noted the importance of camouflage in the infra-red, given the ability of tactical reconnaissance to observe in this part of the spectrum: A German-led NATO research project concluded in 2004 that while "the multispectral signatures of most military equipment can be significantly reduced by combinations of various camouflage materials", multi-spectral camouflage for individual soldiers remained lacking. The main problems identified were operational constraints such as mobility, weight, and the soldier's

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

Camouflage

Multi-spectral camouflage can be applied to individuals, to vehicles, and to buildings. It can take the form of specialised paints or camouflage nets that provide conventional camouflage, reduce the amount of heat given off by an object, and alter the shape and size of its radar signature. The Saab Barracuda Mobile Camouflage System provides a degree of concealment in the visible, thermal infrared, and radar parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, as does the Miranda

Berberys-R Berberys-R is a Polish multispectral camouflage system, reducing visibility in the visible and infrared spectra, to thermal vision, and to radiolocation signatures.

multispectral camouflage system from Poland."Producer's leaflet"
(in Polish)

Saab AB Saab AB (originally , later just SAAB and Saab Group) is a Swedish aerospace and defence company, founded in 1937. Headquartered in Stockholm, the development and the manufacturing is undertaken in Linköping. Saab produced automobiles from 194 ...

began offering a multi-spectral personal camouflage system known as the Special Operations Tactical Suit (SOTACS) as early as 2005. And as of 2018, multiple countries are phasing out legacy camouflage systems with multi-spectral systems.

Examples across the electromagnetic spectrum

References

{{camouflage Camouflage Military technology

History

Camouflage

Examples across the electromagnetic spectrum

See also

References