Invisible tanks could be on battlefield within five years

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.

Telegraph.co.u k


The Red Coats are coming but you can't see them. Wait until we push out the invisible aircraft carriers (we are still working on the airplane landing thing), invisible soldiers and the invisible bullets.

Britannia shall rule the waves and you colonials better get used to it!

These things invisible to thermal optics? Do they emit smoke when they fire or sit idle? Do they make sound? Or how about if you point a laser at one, will it pass right through the optical camo or light the whole thing up?

Lol it would be hilarious if one country drove a squadron of invisible tanks right into the other's capital city and surrounded their military headquarters. Then flicked off the invisible switch and ordered them to surrender.

Originally posted by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi
These things invisible to thermal optics? Do they emit smoke when they fire or sit idle? Do they make sound? Or how about if you point a laser at one, will it pass right through the optical camo or light the whole thing up?

edit on 10-1-2011 by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi because: (no reason given)

I don't know but I suspect that if they are going to invest in invisibility tech, they will work on baffling the heat signature and the noise. And if you use a laser I suppose a shell would be sent down the line in response.

Originally posted by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi
These things invisible to thermal optics? Do they emit smoke when they fire or sit idle? Do they make sound? Or how about if you point a laser at one, will it pass right through the optical camo or light the whole thing up?

edit on 10-1-2011 by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi because: (no reason given)

Yep.

Setup laser nets across an expanse and bingo..

As soon as they start the engines they will stick out like a sore thumb on thermal/heat equipment. (although in theory, this could be camouflaged dynamically.)

Sound would be hard to mask..a tank makes a lot of noise..a lot of tanks make a lot more. Unless the thinking is by the time the enemy hears the tank..it's too late.

reply to post by spikey


But the breakthrough in the invisibility technology will come into its own when electric powered tank is invented. Imagine an electric tank with a diesel electric motor like a submarine.

reply to post by Ilovecatbinlady


What would be an awesome utility is have the e-paint project a picture of an enemy's unit. That could buy the tank some time before enemy forces realize its a bad guy until its too late.

Overall, this is a huge. If they couple this with heat-reducing material, the tanks would be near invisible.

Combat tank tactics uses the environment to provide cover and show only as little of themselves as possible. Most of the time they only expose their turret, so the enemy has a much smaller target to engage.

With this optic camo, a military can hide its number from spy satellites. Reduce range of being detected by enemy forces. Engage low-tech forces who have almost a hard chance to see their attackers.

i think they would be largely pointless and more of a gimmick. Tanks are noisy, smelly, leave a massive footprint of track mark behind them, wake in water behind them and what about getting spalshed with rain, mud, snow, also if it's really sunny say in a desert enviroment how are those advanced optics gonna handle sunlight bouncing all over them I can imagine the tanks glowing like a candle at certain angles.
A better idea if they can get it to work is to then miniturise it and make it wearable, invisible paratroopers and spec ops would be better or medic/evac helicopters for getting in and out of hot zones quickly.
In my opinion of course.

reply to post by guppy


Well at the rate that your "gloryous" country is going by attacking 3rd world countrys I doubt theres gonna be any lasers or thermal vision lol.
But yes, as I understand, its like putting a LCD screen on a tank, detectable, not visible.

Please God by then the world will be purged of these heinous cockroaches, and of their weapons, and we will be using technology to help our planet and all its sovreign citizens.

Originally posted by Ilovecatbinlady

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.

not trying to be rude, or an ass, but you are an idiot. Just reading this piece of information myslef I have found different ways to counter this "breakthrough"
1. thermal scanning will reveal it
2. heat tracing artillery will hone in of it
3. drones can find it
4. IT can still be found on radar
5. the charge up of this device is its own weakness
this isnt taking in the price of one, or how many they will be able to produce at a moments time.
www.telegraph.co.uk...< br />

The Red Coats are coming but you can't see them. Wait until we push out the invisible aircraft carriers (we are still working on the airplane landing thing), invisible soldiers and the invisible bullets.

Britannia shall rule the waves and you colonials better get used to it!

Sounds like a neat inventive technological wonder. Why am I not surprised that it's implication is that of sustaining a war. We suck as humans sometimes.

reply to post by locololo


You are too serious and you response is not helpful.

I just want an invisibility suit and the directions to the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader locker room.

reply to post by locololo


You do make a point. Drones flying over head will probably have a good opportunity to apply alternative imaging techniques and possibly even spot distortions on the turret area.

Plus tanks always leave tracks on the ground, which drones can spot.

From what I've gathered from the article, they're intending to cover vehicles with color E-ink displays like on an ebook reader so the tank can change the color of it's camouflage pattern to match whatever colors are most prevalent where it is. It's not invisibility by any stretch of the word, but it's clever.

Originally posted by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi
reply to post by locololo

 

You do make a point. Drones flying over head will probably have a good opportunity to apply alternative imaging techniques and possibly even spot distortions on the turret area.

Plus tanks always leave tracks on the ground, which drones can spot.

exactly, but it could be possible to scircumvent this with invisible air travel instead of tanks, and bag haed guy the directions to the dallas girls locker room are secret, only the other 1milllion invisible pervits know it

Sorry to burst your bubble but they are already in existence.
Anything you know about concerning technology is at least 10 years old.

You can find videos on liveleak depicting said battle tanks in operation in Iraq.
In one of them a commander gets out to converse with another soldier and he seems to be wearing the same type of camouflage as he is almost just a bobbing head.

Originally posted by TasteTheTruth
Sorry to burst your bubble but they are already in existence.
Anything you know about concerning technology is at least 10 years old.

You can find videos on liveleak depicting said battle tanks in operation in Iraq.
In one of them a commander gets out to converse with another soldier and he seems to be wearing the same type of camouflage as he is almost just a bobbing head.

No, that "10 years old" story is just a myth for common people to believe. It's not exactly hard to find evidence of actual technology if you have the right connections (like ATS).

And your story is completely wrong. That wasn't an invisible tank, it was an Abrams. The guy wasn't wearing an invisible suit either, it was a combination of digital camo and poor video quality (I've seen this video like 50 times). Plus there was a guy on some thread on ATS claiming to be from a related unit who basically explained that the first tank in the video was hit by an IED and the second tank came to pick up the crew.

And really now, why would a guy be wearing an invisible suit if he is in an invisible tank?

Originally posted by Ilovecatbinlady
reply to post by spikey

 

But the breakthrough in the invisibility technology will come into its own when electric powered tank is invented. Imagine an electric tank with a diesel electric motor like a submarine.

Yep.

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.

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.

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.

Interesting!

Graphics:
www.gizmag.com...

reply to post by markygee


Oi! Is your dog copying me?

I am concerned that your dog is mocking my attempt of maintaining my anonymity.