Lyras
22-07-2008, 13:43
'Warshroud' advanced multi-spectral camouflage netting system.
Based heavily on the Ukrainian 'Kontrast', 'Warshroud' dramatically reduces the detection ranges against known radar, infra-red and visible-band methods. The 'Kontrast' system was developed at the Ukrainian Institute of Automated Systems in late 2002, and was designed to address a notable and growing problem. High-potency modern weapons are able to engage ground vehicles at any angle, from great ranges, by day or by night, irrespective of weather, and with a potency that was becoming increasingly difficult to counter. The Institute's researchers faced a real challenge and, moreover, it was decided to develop a single solution, one that would take into account all noted factors and be implemented within the weight and size limitations.
In approaching this task specialists at the Institute of Automated Systems decided to proceed from the key idea behind the design of high precision weapons. High-precision, high-lethality systems universally require integration with means of detection, which of necessity requires the design of sensor sets and target locators, and the implementation of effective scanning capabilities across several adjacent or near-adjacent visible and invisible spectra, including visible light, close and long infra-red waves, and laser scans(in the infrared, millimeter and centimeter wave bands).
The developers of Kontrast took an ordinary camouflage net as the base and, utilising the latest technological innovations, turned it into a new generation signature-reduction product to combat the sophistication of modern radar systems and other contemporary military reconnaissance means. The result was the development of a surprisingly effective solution.
Developed countries traditionally have utilised a wide variety of signature reduction technologies, many of which include various after-manufacture coatings. The technical requirements of such coating are very high - their reflection capacity must be below 20 dB in a wide range of bands. This factor forced the Ukrainian – and later Lyran – research teams to examine new physical methods for reducing or amplifying reflection of radar waves to achieve effective electromagnetic concealment. With this goal in mind, the 'Kontrast' developers tried to find materials with absorptive and reflective characteristics for attenuating and amplifying electromagnetic waves. Experiments generated a series of composite materials with superb characteristics for greatly diminishing the wave reflection contrast between the protected object and its background.
Shown below is a Ukrainian T80 utilising the 'Kontrast' netting,
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb62/2821090/kontrast1hj.jpg
which, when correctly employed, simultaneously utilises absorption and targetted reflection of electromagnetic waves. The array of material used within the netting the product, each of which featured at least one of the said qualities, allowed protection from a great range of known target location means. 'Kontrast' tests have repeatedly shown its superiority across a wide range of battlefield conditions to analogues from Sweden and Britain, whether the concealed unit is moving or stationary.
'Warshroud' built on 'Kontrast' by the integration of signature reduction techniques in the IR spectrum pioneered by the LDPCU multi-spectral camouflage. The resultant product takes nearly twice as long to produce, due to the difficulty in applying a coating (which had been done away with under 'Kontrast') to the camouflage netting. Attempts are being made to shorten the 'Warshroud' manufacturing process, but it is somewhat of a moot point. Production as it stands is more than capable of keeping up with the manufacture of the vehicles utilising 'Warshroud'. Warshroud's visible suppression includes, as with most camouflage nets, terrain-appropriate textile strips, but on 'Warshroud' they are soaked in a dielectric polymer that can absorb and scatter electromagnetic waves. The textile pieces are made of non-reactive, radar transparent fabric.
In 2002, tests run using 'Kontrast' on a T-84 determined that the ability of hostile weapons to lock onto a vehicle dropped nine-fold compared to an unshrouded vehicle. It was further established that T-84 MBTs fielding 'Kontrast' dropped out of visibility range of viewing devices at distances over and including 500m.
'Warshroud' builds on this, with additional substantial reduction in detectability of targets in infra-red, radio-thermal and radio wave bands. Improvements in synthetic and parasynthetic textiles have also reduced the inherent radar return in the material which binds the net together, along all detection envelopes.
'Warshroud' has repeatedly demonstrated excellent resistance to various external factors while keeping its camouflaging characteristics intact – a factor very quickly determined to be a critical capability of the system. Tests had tanks equipped with a 'Warshroud' run at their tops speeds in off-road conditions, in woods and deserts, while similarly equipped IFVs conducted amphibious landings. In all cases, the signature reduction capabilities of the equipment were unreduced to any appreciable degree. All elements of 'Warshroud' are resistant to fuels, lubricants (gasoline, diesel fuel, lube oil) and detergents. Furthermore, spinning off from research conducted into the LDPCU once again, the shroud is made of self-extinguishing materials, ensuring that flames cease to burn free of subsequent glowing, once the fire source is removed.
'Warshroud' itself consists of a number of modular components that can be put together to create a masking surface of any size and shape, with colors matching any field environment in any season.
It is currently expected that existing Lyran AFV stocks will be retrospectively fitted with 'Warshroud', as a means of contributing to the ongoing attempts to reduce detection footprints across all relevant bands.
AFV-sized 'Warshroud' can be purchased from Lyran Arms (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=13152843#post13152843), by authorised purchasers only, at NS$100,000 per net.
Based heavily on the Ukrainian 'Kontrast', 'Warshroud' dramatically reduces the detection ranges against known radar, infra-red and visible-band methods. The 'Kontrast' system was developed at the Ukrainian Institute of Automated Systems in late 2002, and was designed to address a notable and growing problem. High-potency modern weapons are able to engage ground vehicles at any angle, from great ranges, by day or by night, irrespective of weather, and with a potency that was becoming increasingly difficult to counter. The Institute's researchers faced a real challenge and, moreover, it was decided to develop a single solution, one that would take into account all noted factors and be implemented within the weight and size limitations.
In approaching this task specialists at the Institute of Automated Systems decided to proceed from the key idea behind the design of high precision weapons. High-precision, high-lethality systems universally require integration with means of detection, which of necessity requires the design of sensor sets and target locators, and the implementation of effective scanning capabilities across several adjacent or near-adjacent visible and invisible spectra, including visible light, close and long infra-red waves, and laser scans(in the infrared, millimeter and centimeter wave bands).
The developers of Kontrast took an ordinary camouflage net as the base and, utilising the latest technological innovations, turned it into a new generation signature-reduction product to combat the sophistication of modern radar systems and other contemporary military reconnaissance means. The result was the development of a surprisingly effective solution.
Developed countries traditionally have utilised a wide variety of signature reduction technologies, many of which include various after-manufacture coatings. The technical requirements of such coating are very high - their reflection capacity must be below 20 dB in a wide range of bands. This factor forced the Ukrainian – and later Lyran – research teams to examine new physical methods for reducing or amplifying reflection of radar waves to achieve effective electromagnetic concealment. With this goal in mind, the 'Kontrast' developers tried to find materials with absorptive and reflective characteristics for attenuating and amplifying electromagnetic waves. Experiments generated a series of composite materials with superb characteristics for greatly diminishing the wave reflection contrast between the protected object and its background.
Shown below is a Ukrainian T80 utilising the 'Kontrast' netting,
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb62/2821090/kontrast1hj.jpg
which, when correctly employed, simultaneously utilises absorption and targetted reflection of electromagnetic waves. The array of material used within the netting the product, each of which featured at least one of the said qualities, allowed protection from a great range of known target location means. 'Kontrast' tests have repeatedly shown its superiority across a wide range of battlefield conditions to analogues from Sweden and Britain, whether the concealed unit is moving or stationary.
'Warshroud' built on 'Kontrast' by the integration of signature reduction techniques in the IR spectrum pioneered by the LDPCU multi-spectral camouflage. The resultant product takes nearly twice as long to produce, due to the difficulty in applying a coating (which had been done away with under 'Kontrast') to the camouflage netting. Attempts are being made to shorten the 'Warshroud' manufacturing process, but it is somewhat of a moot point. Production as it stands is more than capable of keeping up with the manufacture of the vehicles utilising 'Warshroud'. Warshroud's visible suppression includes, as with most camouflage nets, terrain-appropriate textile strips, but on 'Warshroud' they are soaked in a dielectric polymer that can absorb and scatter electromagnetic waves. The textile pieces are made of non-reactive, radar transparent fabric.
In 2002, tests run using 'Kontrast' on a T-84 determined that the ability of hostile weapons to lock onto a vehicle dropped nine-fold compared to an unshrouded vehicle. It was further established that T-84 MBTs fielding 'Kontrast' dropped out of visibility range of viewing devices at distances over and including 500m.
'Warshroud' builds on this, with additional substantial reduction in detectability of targets in infra-red, radio-thermal and radio wave bands. Improvements in synthetic and parasynthetic textiles have also reduced the inherent radar return in the material which binds the net together, along all detection envelopes.
'Warshroud' has repeatedly demonstrated excellent resistance to various external factors while keeping its camouflaging characteristics intact – a factor very quickly determined to be a critical capability of the system. Tests had tanks equipped with a 'Warshroud' run at their tops speeds in off-road conditions, in woods and deserts, while similarly equipped IFVs conducted amphibious landings. In all cases, the signature reduction capabilities of the equipment were unreduced to any appreciable degree. All elements of 'Warshroud' are resistant to fuels, lubricants (gasoline, diesel fuel, lube oil) and detergents. Furthermore, spinning off from research conducted into the LDPCU once again, the shroud is made of self-extinguishing materials, ensuring that flames cease to burn free of subsequent glowing, once the fire source is removed.
'Warshroud' itself consists of a number of modular components that can be put together to create a masking surface of any size and shape, with colors matching any field environment in any season.
It is currently expected that existing Lyran AFV stocks will be retrospectively fitted with 'Warshroud', as a means of contributing to the ongoing attempts to reduce detection footprints across all relevant bands.
AFV-sized 'Warshroud' can be purchased from Lyran Arms (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=13152843#post13152843), by authorised purchasers only, at NS$100,000 per net.