Saab Claims to Have Resolved a Contemporary Camouflage Dilemma

Saab has announced a breakthrough in modern camouflage technology, rendering the object concealed by it practically invisible to the naked eye.

Glenn Burgess

On September 5, a big Swedish defense company called Saab shared some exciting news. They’ve added a cool new feature to their camouflage netting. This netting is like a cover that’s used to hide things like military equipment or soldiers in the woods so that enemies can’t spot them.

The new netting not only hides what’s underneath it, but it also makes it hard for radar and radio signals to detect what’s hidden. Saab is calling this feature “Frequency Selective Surface technology” for their Barracuda Ultra-lightweight Camouflage Screen. With this netting, the people hiding underneath can still send out radio signals, but they won’t show up on radar. It’s a clever solution to a tricky problem!

Camouflage is like a secret trick used in war to hide from the enemy. One of the simplest ways to do this is by using netting, which is a bit like building a fort with blankets in your living room.

However, instead of completely covering everything like a regular blanket fort, camouflage netting is more like a loose, see-through curtain. It lets the people hiding inside see what’s happening outside without being spotted.

At first, camouflage netting was designed to hide things from human eyes and cameras that use regular light. But then came radar, which uses radio waves to find objects. Radar could easily see through regular camouflage netting because it doesn’t rely on regular light. Infrared cameras, which look at heat instead of regular light, could also see through this type of netting.

Multispectral approaches

There are newer solutions called “multispectral camouflage netting” that are designed to hide from different types of sensors like radar and infrared cameras. These nets are even better at keeping things hidden because they can fool a wider range of detection methods.

“Multispectral camouflage is a counter-surveillance technique to conceal [an] object from detection along several waverange of the electromagnetic spectrum,” reads a NATO study of multispectral nets published in 2020. “Traditionally, military camouflage has been designed to conceal an object in the visible spectrum. Multi-spectral camouflage advances this capability by contra measure to detection methods in the infrared and radar domains.”

Hiding from sensors is like a never-ending game in the world of military science. It’s a constant back-and-forth between those who want to hide and those who want to find hidden things. Military forces are always trying to come up with better ways to hide themselves, but at the same time, they’re also trying to create tools that can uncover hidden enemies. It’s a challenging and ever-evolving part of military strategy and technology.

One big problem with the current multispectral netting is that it can hide people underneath it, but it also blocks their ability to communicate. Imagine soldiers waiting to ambush or artillery teams hiding and waiting to attack. They need to talk to their allies to coordinate, but if they have to leave the netting to do that, it kind of defeats the purpose of hiding.

This is where Saab’s solution comes in. They’ve come up with a clever idea to solve this problem. Henning Robach, who leads Saab’s Barracuda unit, explained that their new feature changes the game. It allows soldiers to communicate while still staying hidden from different types of sensors. It’s like a new era of communication flexibility for the military.

The technology they’re using, called “Frequency Selective Surface technology,” lets certain radio frequencies pass through the camouflage net easily, while still blocking the higher frequencies that radar systems use. So, while some frequencies could still be detected, they are much harder for the enemy to monitor.

This means that the enemy would have a much tougher time figuring out where the threat is really coming from. The goal of camouflage isn’t to be completely invisible, but to confuse the enemy and make them make mistakes or target the wrong things.

The roots of camouflage

While the concept of camouflage has been around in nature for ages, the word itself was so new to the English language that in August 1917, Popular Science ran an article titled “A New French War Word Which Means ‘Fooling the Enemy.'” This term gained popularity and widespread use during World War I, a time when describing warfare presented unique challenges.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term “camouflage” first appeared in the 1880s but became commonly associated with military tactics around 1915 or 1917. Popular Science played a role in popularising the word by showcasing photographs of British and French artillery covered with foliage, trains made to blend into the landscape, and various techniques to conceal guns, trains, and roads from enemy aircraft.

The article explained that before the word “camouflage” came into use, lengthy descriptions were needed to explain these military tricks. However, the introduction of the French term streamlined communication. “Camouflage” was adopted as the new term, signifying the act of “fooling the enemy.”

The article further illustrated the concept with a specific example: a dead horse was removed from the no-man’s-land between British and German trenches, replaced by a fake horse with a concealed soldier inside. This allowed the soldier to spy on and engage the enemy from what had previously been just a grim part of the battlefield.

Popular Science has a history of covering the evolving world of camouflage in various military contexts. Even before the United States officially entered World War II in July 1941, the magazine was discussing methods to camouflage industrial plants to protect them from potential bombing.

In July 1944, an article featured a 4.5-inch gun cleverly concealed in a foxhole and covered with netting as an example of camouflage techniques. Fast forward to 1957, and Popular Science showcased a Matador cruise missile hidden under camouflage netting. This camouflage not only concealed the missile but also its incredibly powerful 50-kiloton nuclear warhead, which was even more potent than the combined force of both atomic bombs dropped on Japan during World War II.

Moving into the modern era, a story from August 2001 titled “Nowhere to Hide” focused on hyperspectral imaging. This technology allowed satellites to see through camouflage by detecting differences in the way real vegetation and decoys reflected light at various wavelengths.

Today, multispectral camouflage remains crucial for militaries as they grapple with the tension between powerful sensors and advanced concealment techniques. It’s not just about staying hidden; it’s about adapting to the capabilities of modern detection methods. Moreover, ensuring that those under the camouflage netting can still communicate effectively with their allies is a significant advantage in military operations.