IR Chameleon

[locarno24]

Or something not entirely dissimilar.

No use for a tank that's got it's engine running, obviously - the exhaust from an Abrahms turbine will strip paint from a car for several metres behind it. But if a vehicle is dug in in ambush, potentially quite useful.

 

[BFalcon]

Fragging... that's impressive!!!

Imagine that with the new silent water drives and you've got yourself a true stealth ship - use that on a mobile base with netting over the top to help mould it into the landscape and even a satellite flyby won't spot you, if everyone's under cover... the only way would be the old-fashioned method of comparing photos for features that weren't there previously... and that's pretty labour intensive since even a slight angle change might render a computer comparison useless (although I'm sure that they're working on it). I'd imagine a primary method, normally, would be IR detection to focus searches...

Certainly, that's going to be a killer for SAM sites and enemy aircraft - aircraft like the A-10 and AH-64 use thermals quite a bit for target aquisition... a passive sensor SAM site would be nearly impossible to detect with that system, wouldn't it?

 

[Captain Jonah]

Getting there

THe unit being hidden still needs ways of hiding its own heat while pretending to be a cow. Stillthere are ways around that and a stationary unit such as arty, a sam site or ambush unit will have a low thermal output anyway.

Its moving with those hot tracks and the engine running with the exhaust that show up well. You can cool the exhaust by mixing it with outsaide air before releasing it but that tends to be a bit bulky and dooesn't mask the heat completely. Ships have an advantage of this huge great heat sink called the ocean but tanks are a bit harder to hide.

Still getting there nicely, waiting for the person sized units now :lol:

 

[DFW]

It is pretty cool. Unfortunately it only works in the near IR band in non-cold environments. But it is pretty cool.

 

[locarno24]

a passive sensor SAM site would be nearly impossible to detect with that system, wouldn't it?

Not impossible - there are still other tricks in the high-end recon bunny's bag (synthetic aperture radar, for example) - but for something which isn't generating much heat itself, it'll break up the outline very well, just like digital camo or DPM does with visual scanning, so it's certainly a dirty trick to be able to pull. IR is a cheap and easy thing to search with, and pulling that rug out from under someone leads to the possibility of nasty surprises, especially with so much persistant recon work being done these days with small and medium sized UAVs, which have only a certain payload for different types of sensor.

 

[DFW]

Not impossible -

Not at all. The IR band that a Sidewinder missile uses (just one example) is not effected by the system shown.

 

[BFalcon]

Not impossible -

Not at all. The IR band that a Sidewinder missile uses (just one example) is not effected by the system shown.

I don't think the AA tank or SAM would mind being hit by a Sidewinder, nor the fact that the aircraft was inside its 9 mile range, quite frankly... given the range of modern SAMs and fire control RADAR.. more likely it would be fearing the HARM missiles - especially given that they're rumoured to be able to pick up the RADAR circuitry these days and don't just need it powered up... not to mention the fact that a Sidewinder would do little more than scratch the paintwork on a modern tank... even a composite boat, I'd not expect a kill from one.

Primary requirement of the system would be to fool the wavelength of IR that the gunship and anti-tank imaging systems use - the locking systems don't matter one bit (thermal smoke can handle those once spotted). It's the initial discovery that matters most... at least until they're launching their own missiles in the direction of the aircraft.

 

[DFW]

I don't think the AA tank or SAM would mind being hit by a Sidewinder,

Not the point. The point is that NO IR weapon targeting system uses that part of the IR band to target. So, it is useless for hiding from weapon attacks that relies on IR detection.

This is the same part of the band that your TV remote works on. Your digital cam can record on these frequencies also (if you know what you are doing).