Camouflage and concealment solutions are used to hide and disguise army, navy and air force assets in the field, making them less visible or completely invisible to enemy forces. They are often grouped under wider military doctrines such as CCD (camouflage, concealment, and deception/decoy) and MILDEC (military deception).
Concealment Equipment
Military camouflage equipment that provides concealment on the visible light spectrum uses particular patterns, shapes and colors that facilitate blending into particular environments, including woodland, snow and arctic, desert, and urban. Camouflage systems may also work to prevent detection by sensors operating in other electromagnetic spectra, including ultraviolet, NIR and thermal wavelengths, and radio wavelengths such as radar.
Camouflage solutions may take the form of camo fatigues for troops, military camo netting or paints, as well as interlocking plates or other coverings for vehicles, large assets and fixed sites.
Mobile Camouflage Systems
Mobile camouflage systems for armored vehicles provide multispectral protection against a wide range of sensors. Their signature management capabilities reduce the probability of detection by enemy forces as well as reducing the distance at which the vehicles can be identified.
Active Camouflage
Smart camouflage systems, also called adaptive or active camouflage, are under development that will utilize microprocessors and miniature sensors to automatically change patterns to suit different environments and effective ranges. These may take the form of clothing for troops or panels for vehicles. In addition to visual camouflage, these future systems may be able to be rapidly heated or cooled in order to match the surroundings or mimic a desired heat signature.