Invisible Tanks

[elmicker]

To IR, at least

Tanks could soon get night time invisibility thanks to a cloaking device that masks their infra-red signature. Developed by BAE Systems, the Adaptiv technology allows vehicles to mimic the temperature of their surroundings. It can also make a tank look like other objects, such as a cow or car, when seen through heat-sensitive 'scopes.

Researchers are looking at ways to make it work with other wavelengths of light to confer true invisibility. Hiding out The hi-tech camouflage uses hexagonal panels or pixels made of a material that can change temperature very quickly. About 1,000 pixel panels, each of which is 14cm across, are needed to cover a small tank. The panels are driven by on-board thermal cameras that constantly image the ambient temperature of the tank's surroundings. This is projected on to the panels to make it harder to spot. The cameras can also work when the tank is moving.

Its developers would not discuss exactly how the panels are heated and cooled. Field trials of the thermal cloaking system showed that it made a tank resemble background scenery best from a distance of 300-400m.



BAE Systems has also produced a library containing the heat images of other objects, such as trucks, cars and large rocks, that can be projected on to the panels. "Earlier attempts at similar cloaking devices have hit problems because of cost, excessive power requirements or because they were insufficiently robust," said Adaptiv project manager Pader Sjolund at BAE Systems in a statement.

By contrast, he explained, Adaptiv panels add to the armour on a fighting vehicle and consume relatively little power. "We can resize the pixels to achieve stealth for different ranges," he added. "A warship or building, for instance, might not need close-up stealth, so could be fitted with larger panels."

BAE estimates that the technology could be ready to put into production in two years.

Regardless of its application in the real world, I think all can agree this is literally cool as fuck.

ed: Also on wired

[Kaianna]

Confirming that is indeed, cool as fuck.

[Takon Orlani]

One step closer to world of invisible guns on tracks.

[Al Simmons]

Pierce Brosnan has a lot to answer for.

[spasm]

Why don't they just put a bush in front of the tanks?

[ufk]

Why don't they just put a bush in front of the tanks?

Because either of the Bushs(George), or any other politician for that matter, couldn't spout enough hot air to cover the IR sig of a tank :P

[FatFreddy]

Why don't they just put a bush in front of the tanks?

[EntroX]

this is indeed cool as fuck

[Straight Hustlin]

Doesn't matter, arty is still OP as fuck

[elmicker]

That tank is a spy!

[definatelynotKKassandra]

Indeed, it does look very cool. I am confused about the physics of it though - the reason tanks show up on thermal scopes is beacuse they're hotter than the surroundings. That heat still has to go somewhere, surely? Or is this thing also an extremely effective thermal insulator?

Edit: closer reading of the article points out this test was only on one side of the tank. The waste heat would still have ot go somewhere, presumably out of the exhaust, which will still show up like a Christmas tree. Still pretty useful for hiding in a bush if you know where the enemy will be looking for you from though.

[elmicker]

Indeed, it does look very cool. I am confused about the physics of it though - the reason tanks show up on thermal scopes is beacuse they're hotter than the surroundings. That heat still has to go somewhere, surely? Or is this thing also an extremely effective thermal insulator?

BAE are, unsurprisingly, tight-lipped about the exact workings, but it's probably pretty simple (conceptually, at least). The heat has to go somewhere, but it doesn't have to go into the atmosphere and it certainly doesn't have to be released immediately. There's nothing stopping them heating a well-insulated, internal heat sink (a la mass effect), which is cooled when the system isn't active. In fantasy land, one could even reclaim this heat and use it to generate electricity, but the efficiencies of such systems (they're used on certain deep-space probes with radioisotope generators) are laughably low.

Could give tommy cooker an entirely new meaning.

[RoemySchneider]

but does it retain its capabilities to crush puppies?

[Fortior]

but does it retain its capabilities to crush puppies?

Depends on the driver I'd say.

[Kaianna]

There's nothing stopping them heating a well-insulated, internal heat sink (a la mass effect), which is cooled when the system isn't active.

I was actually thinking the Mass Effect stealth heatsink would work really well for this

[definatelynotKKassandra]

but does it retain its capabilities to crush puppies?

BAE are a leading supplier of 3rd world law-enforcement technology, so I would imagine so. Their market would demand it.

[Tai]

Came expecting to troll OP for posting outside of the Tanks sub-forum. Left terrified of future WoT expansions

[Lowa [NSN]]

Cool as fuck just checked in. Problem is I'm having trouble seeing him...

[Pontifex Tellanius]

I read something about this in a Swedish paper a week ago.
In there the focus was more on the Swedish part of BAE actually doing the research (Hägglunds) than on the big company... I didn't even notice that they're owned by BAE at first :P

[Keorythe]

I read something about this in a Swedish paper a week ago.
In there the focus was more on the Swedish part of BAE actually doing the research (Hägglunds) than on the big company... I didn't even notice that they're owned by BAE at first :P

BAE does this all over the place. I used to contract to them working the HIMARS, FMTV series, MRAP, and JLTV vehicles. This was out of Texas no less. They have spots all over the world that work on different projects including R&D. Some plants specialize in one thing and others are more flexible. Swedish plants usually did the munitions side of things so working this is a bit different. The big question is how durable and how heavy are these things. The tanks aren't going to carry these themselves so there will have to be a logi train. And that train will be visible.