When Harry Potter needed to get around without being seen, he used his dad’s old invisibility cloak. Though us Muggles haven’t figured out how to get one yet (though not for lack of trying), the Swedish company BAE Systems has succeeded in conjuring up its own version of it, if only for military use. A sort of ‘invisibility cloak’ for battleships, tanks, and helicopters… at least in the thermal/infrared spectrum.
In our technologically advanced world, we often use infrared or other electronic frequencies in combat to detect other unknown forces, especially when fighting in the dark, over large distances, or underwater. The system relies upon the thermal (heat) radiation given off by the combat vehicles. This early detection not only notifies them of the presence of most of the vehicles, but also gives them an idea of their number, size, and positions. Quite often, this poses a problem for the combatants, especially when the need for stealth is concerned.
BAE Systems’ new form of stealth technology, called the ADAPTIV invisibility cloak works to alter the thermal signals that would have otherwise given away the positions or nature of the tanks, ships, or aircrafts. To achieve this, the vehicles are plated in sheets of hexagonal panels (called ‘pixels’). Metallic and lightweight, each of the pixels can be heated or cooled independently with semi-conducting technology, as directed by a specially developed software program. They may also vary in size, according to their specific use.
Depending on the situation, the pixels can be used in many different ways. For example, to go undetected by enemy forces, the pixels can be commanded to sense and then mimic the temperature of its surrounding environment, thereby rendering it invisible to infrared detection. In other cases, certain pixels may be heated in such a pattern so as to create the silhouette of a small car or another traditionally harmless vehicle in an attempt to fool or disguise its true nature. Furthermore, as fatalities caused by friendly fire are unfortunately common in combat, the pixels may be heated to display a sort of thermal signature to its own allies. These identification tags may come as a coded signal or simply as a large X displayed on the side of the vehicle as a signal to friendly forces.
The ADAPTIV cloak is expected to be adopted for use in combat in the very near future, and its use may change combat tactics substantially. Though this may not be the true cloak of Death, it certainly is a force to be reckoned with.
Leave a Reply