In English, a term is often used to designate new generation camouflage technologies: Cloaking, literally the “use of a cloak”. The reference to the elven capes of Frodo Baggins and the invisibility cloak of the most famous young British wizard is obvious, while retaining a dreamlike dimension. However, this term is today used most seriously in the world by numerous research laboratories working for the Defense industry.
Thanks to new meta-materials , it is now possible to totally or partially erase the presence of an object, a vehicle or a soldier, from the view of opposing forces. What are these new generation camouflage technologies, and will they soon enter service within the armed forces?
In reality, there is not one, but several technologies seeking to erase the presence of a soldier or a vehicle in the light spectrum. The oldest, and most widely used, is none other than classic camouflage, which aims to reproduce the chromatic and physical characteristics of the environment in which the combatants find themselves.
The most successful example of this type of camouflage is the Ghillie suit, invented in Scotland by gamekeepers at the beginning of the 20th century, and which was used for the first time in combat during the First World War. But this technology, although it is simple and economical, is not free from defects.
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