Invisible tanks could be on battlefield within five years

[FastCargo 412]

 

By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent, The Telegraph (UK)

 

Armoured vehicles will use a new technology known as "e-camouflage" which deploys a form "electronic ink" to render a vehicle "invisible".

 

Highly sophisticated electronic sensors attached to the tank's hull will project images of the surrounding environment back onto the outside of the vehicle enabling it to merge into the landscape and evade attack.

 

The electronic camouflage will enable the vehicle to blend into the surrounding countryside in much the same way that a squid uses ink to help as a disguise.

 

Unlike conventional forms of camouflage, the images on the hull would change in concert with the changing environment always insuring that the vehicle remains disguised.

 

In Helmand, for example, all armoured vehicle have desert sand coloured camouflage, which is of little use in the "Green Zone", an area of cultivation where crops are grown and the Taliban often hide.

 

Up until recently such concepts were thought to be the stuff of science fiction but scientists at the defence company BAE Systems now believe battlefield "invisibility" will soon become science fact.

 

Scientists at the BAE hope the new technology will be available to use with the British Army fighting in Southern Afghanistan and in future conflicts.

 

The concept was developed as part of the Future Protected Vehicle programme, which scientists believe, will transform the way in which future conflicts will be fought.

 

The programme is based around seven different military vehicles, both manned and unmanned, which will be equipped with a wide variety of lethal and none lethal weapons.

 

The unmanned vehicles or battlefield robots will be able to conduct dangerous missions in hostile areas, clear minefields and extract wounded troops under fire.

 

The vehicles include:

 

* Pointer: an agile robot which can take over dirty, dull or dangerous jobs, such as forward observation and mine clearance.

 

* Bearer: a modular platform which can carry a range of mission payloads, such as protected mobility, air defence and ambulance;

 

* Wraith: a low signature scout vehicle;

 

* Safeguard: an ultra-utility infantry carrier or command & control centre;

 

* Charger: a highly lethal and survivable reconfigurable attack vehicle;

 

* Raider: a remotely or autonomously controlled unmanned recce and skirmishing platform – similar in design to the "Batmobile"

 

* Atlas: a convoy system which removes the driver from harm's way.

 

BAE's Future vehicle project is, in part, a reaction to the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) 'Capability Vision' for armoured vehicles, designed to spur development along different paths from the MoD's previous research.

 

Commanders are aiming for a prototype within four years and an experimental operational capacity by 2013.

 

The brief is for a lightweight vehicle, weighing 30 tonnes, powered by a hybrid electric drive, with the same effectiveness and survivability of a current main battle tank.

 

The UK's current tank, the Challenger 2, weighs 62.5 tonnes, and runs a 1,200hp V12 diesel engine.

 

Britain's current fleet of armoured vehicles are also close to approaching the end of their service life and armoured vehicles designed specifically for use in Helmand, such as the hugely successful Mastiff, may be inappropriate for use in other operational theatres.

 

Scientists at BAE are also looking at a number of revolution battlefield inventions which will increase troop protection as well as making the vehicles more lethal.

 

One concept being developed is to develop technologies, which will cut the use of fuel on the battlefield. In Afghanistan, the cost of fuel is 50 times that of the pump price.

 

All fuel currently used by NATO troops comes in via road convoys which are often attacked by insurgents which are responsible for 80 per cent of US casualties.

 

Scientists are close to developing a form of transparent armour - much tougher than bullet proof glass – which could be used in turrets of on the sides of armoured vehicles which would improve the situational awareness of troops inside.

 

Also being developed is a technology known as "biometric integration which uses advanced algorhythms to analyse crowds and to search for potential threats from suicide bombers by analyzing suspicious behavior in groups or individuals.

 

Electronic scanners would search for suspicious behavior, inappropriate clothing or individuals on wanted lists who can be identified through facial or iris recognition.

 

The information would then be displayed on screen within vehicle or handheld vehicles carried by dismounted troops.

 

Hisham Awad, the head of the Future Protected Vehicle project said: "The trick here is to use machines to do what they are best at (and humans are not) - ploughing very quickly through dull, repetitive data to strip out the overwhelming bulk which is of no use and would take a long time and enormous human resources to process.

 

"Then you can quickly bring human intelligence to bear where it excels - making life-or-death decisions based on 'real time' information on suspicious activity flagged up by the machines."

[+daddyairplanes 10,137]

only difference between science fiction and science fact is time, R+D money and willpower

[Slartibartfast 153]

The tank version of the hidden sniper... If they can disguise the dust trail and flash when the weapons firing then its damn near perfect...

[Nesher 628]

sounds awesome in theory.. I believe the first generation will be less than expected but will make some difference in the battlefield

the only problem that invisibility doesn't prevent an armored vehicle driving over IED's

 

 

[+CrazyhorseB34 937]

The masking of the thermal signature is the most important factor. U.S. Army doctrine is that the thermal is the primary sight.

[JediMaster 451]

And don't forget how it will appear in foul weather. Even the Predator showed up when water was streaming off it!

[+daddyairplanes 10,137]

The masking of the thermal signature is the most important factor. U.S. Army doctrine is that the thermal is the primary sight.

 

 

true, but i think they are looking at fooling insurgents and much lower level militaries that rely more on the eyeball than any sort of optics.

[+CrazyhorseB34 937]

Our big problem is we train and prepare for the last war we fight. We never have the vision to anticipate future threats.

[JediMaster 451]

Well, frankly, as a species humans are lousy at fortune telling. Just look how often the weather dudes are accurate about what it will be like in 5 days...

[GunnySonics 127]

Didnt Saddam Husseins Iraqi Republican Gaurd have "invisible tanks" after Gulf War 1, or was it that there just wasnt any tanks around after the war????

[Derk 265]

Will be funny if some Taliban run into a tank or will be be run over because they don't see it

 

Houdoe,

 

derk

[GunnySonics 127]

If I was in the Army as a tank commander my main concern would be losing the bloody thing, if your crew all got out to take a leak and then turned around and suddenly........where's the frickin tank gone!!!!!

 

 

[Capitaine Vengeur 263]

Few interest. Mask the tank, mask the thermal signature, and sensors will be developped to find something else. Vibrations tracking or magnetic mass signature, for examples. But agree, decoys could be easily developped for these two last paths.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Or...we could all stop f*cking about playing Soldiers...sit round with a hubbly Bubbly Pipe...and grow our hair long?

[JediMaster 451]

LOL, I can just imagine small UAVs with MAD stings out the back, like a fleet of RC P-3's, flying over the battlefield and marking the location of tanks for destruction by PGMs...

The tanks would have to keep moving to avoid that, and something tells me that would instantly defeat this camo...tanks kick up a lot of dust and stuff that is easily seen.

[+daddyairplanes 10,137]

Our big problem is we train and prepare for the last war we fight. We never have the vision to anticipate future threats.

 

 

what you mean we might have to have to fight a country outfitted by china ala the last cold war?

[eraser_tr 29]

Can they declassify this and let it get into civilian life really quickly? I wanna change the color of my car with a remote control!

 

This is exactly what that car in the last Bond film Pierce Brosnan was in did...funny how life immitates art. Now where's my F%$&ing lightsaber already!

[JediMaster 451]

Ever since SF introduced the idea of "cloaking fields" as an advanced form of camoflage people have been looking at how to do it.