How an innovative means of disguise can affect the situation on the battlefield
Russian developers have perfected a camouflage umbrella that hides people and equipment from enemy drones. Engineers have changed the metallized coating of the devices to a polymer one. It can transmit radio waves, which gives the fighter the opportunity to use a radio station or electronic warfare system in parallel. According to experts, protection from thermal imagers has become critically important on the modern front line, and the umbrella-shaped device has significant advantages over conventional capes and suits. Read more about the new invention in the exclusive Izvestia article.
Umbrella for drone camouflage
V.A. Trapeznikov IPU RAS specialists presented an improved version of a camouflage umbrella for the needs of a special military operation. The device is designed to protect fighters and equipment from detection by the enemy both with the naked eye and with the help of thermal imagers. The main innovation was the use of a new radio-permeable material in the design. This allows a serviceman, while under cover, to work effectively with a radio station or an electronic warfare (EW) system. The previous version of the umbrella, which had a metallized coating, did not provide for such a possibility.
— It is very hot in summer in the usual camouflage capes or ponchos: they heat up, hot air comes out, and the person becomes visible from the drone. The umbrella is devoid of this drawback. Our development remains effective for half an hour even in the cold. It can be used to protect people, weapons, and heating equipment, such as electronic warfare field stations," said Andrei Migachev, the inventor of the device and a researcher at the IPU RAS.
Image source: Photo: from the personal archive of A.N. Migachev
Special attention is paid to the dome assembly during production. This is done manually to carefully control the tension of the fabric and the quality of the seams. Due to this, the pattern of each product is unique, which makes it difficult to identify them using artificial intelligence systems.
Fashion designer Denis Simachev also took part in the design development. According to him, obtaining a fabric with the necessary properties was the result of experiments.
"For a year and a half in the laboratory, I experimented with the chemical formula of a polymer coating on fabrics, achieving the perfect combination: heat absorption, radio transparency, lightness and cheapness of production," the designer told Izvestia.
However, the manual approach itself slows down the production of products. To meet the demand of the units, which the developers estimate at 1.2 million units, it is necessary to increase production rates. Therefore, along with manual assembly, technologies are being actively introduced into the process. Special equipment for cutting materials and heat treatment ensures the accuracy of geometry and reliable fixation of heat-protective properties, which makes it possible to speed up production. At the same time, the final manual assembly is saved to ensure the uniqueness of each instance.
The enemy engineers tried to repeat the idea of the device. However, they failed to fully reproduce it — their analogue is significantly inferior to the original in quality.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Ilya Naimushin
Image source: iz.ru
The production of umbrellas is organized by volunteers in 40 cities of Russia. The cost of one copy is about 3.5 thousand rubles, depending on the size. The products are available in four different color options and three types of designs. Currently, more than 22 thousand such umbrellas are already in use in the SVO zone.
Use on the battlefield
The human eye is an extremely limited instrument, we see only a narrow band of the electromagnetic spectrum, remaining "blind" to everything above the violet or below the red thresholds. However, modern warfare is taking place precisely in these invisible zones, Dmitry Kuzyakin, chief designer of the Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions, told Izvestia.
— Any heated object, whether it's an armored vehicle engine, a working radio station, or just a human body, emits heat in the infrared range. For thermal imaging cameras, which are currently equipped with the vast majority of reconnaissance and attack drones, the usual "green light" or standard camouflage net is not an obstacle," he explained.
The thermal imager is not "distracted" by visual camouflage — it reads the temperature contrast. On the operator's screen, a warm object literally "glows" through foliage and ordinary nets, the expert noted.
Image source: Photo: from the personal archive of A.N. Migacheva
— The CBR became the first conflict in history where drones with thermal imagers are used massively on both sides. This dictates new security requirements. High—tech shielding materials are replacing the conventional mesh," Dmitry Kuzyakin clarified. — Their task is not just to "hide" an object, but to align its temperature signature with the surrounding background.
The use of such "supermasks" is critically important, in particular, for the stealthy movement of personnel in open areas and the concealment of deployment points from heavy Baba Yaga-type drones operating mainly at night.
In addition, according to the expert, this is necessary to protect artillery and electronic warfare: equipment that inevitably heats up during operation becomes invisible to the enemy's technical intelligence tools.
— The importance of supplying specialized nets and protective capes to the front cannot be overestimated today. This is not just a "household inventory", but a high-tech means of survival. Each such product is a foiled FPV drone attack, saved equipment and, most importantly, saved the lives of our fighters. In modern warfare, the winner is the one who remains invisible to the enemy's digital eye," he concluded.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Stanislav Krasilnikov
Image Source: iz.ru
On the modern front line, protection from thermal imaging detection has moved from the category of auxiliary measures to the category of critical survival conditions, says military expert Yuri Lyamin. Today, UAVs with thermal imagers are the "main eyes" of both sides. Without means of disguise, the detection and subsequent defeat of a fighter occurs almost instantly.
— Previously, specialized suits or capes were the main means, but today we see the evolution of form factors. Full assault suits have a significant drawback: they restrict movement, and it is difficult to stay in them for a long time. Therefore, the emergence of solutions such as an anti—thermal umbrella is a logical step towards ergonomics," he told Izvestia.
According to him, one of the advantages of the new development is that the umbrella is ideal for long stays in positions or in trenches. It can be deployed above itself, creating a reliable shield from drones hanging at the zenith. Also, unlike heavy equipment, a fighter can stay under an umbrella for hours without the risk of overheating or excessive physical fatigue. At the same time, when folded, the product remains compact enough for transportation.
— Radiotransparency is a key technical parameter. Modern combat is unthinkable without communication. If the dome material shields the radio signals, the fighter will be in an information vacuum, which is deadly. The umbrella should transmit signals from walkie-talkies and other means of communication, remaining "invisible" only in the infrared range, the expert believes.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Evgeny Biyatov
Image source: iz.ru
Despite the use of high-tech polymers, such products should remain relatively affordable in production. It is important to understand that in conditions of intense hostilities, any means of disguise are expendable. They are damaged by shrapnel and wear out, so it is necessary to establish mass production for constant replenishment of supplies at the front line, Yuri Lyamin summed up.
According to Mila Smybina, an expert in research and development in the field of high technologies, heat-shielding fabrics have been known for a long time and are widely used for masking in industrial tasks. At the same time, the umbrella-shaped camouflage device has its drawbacks. For example, it will not help if the observation is not made exactly from above, but from an angle. An innovation in this field may be a material that simultaneously shields heat and ensures air permeability or its dispersion in space.
Denis Gritsenko
Julia Leonova
