The Role of Camouflage in Modern Battlefield Survivability. Prof Ian Horsfall MIMMM MIMechE CEng

Transcription

1 The Role of Camouflage in Modern Battlefield Survivability Prof Ian Horsfall MIMMM MIMechE CEng 15 th March 2016

2 Camouflage Camouflage and survivability on the modern battlefield The interaction of camouflage, signature reduction and deception Defensive aids Disguise and deception examples

3 Battlefield Scenarios High intensity warfare against a technically able adversary Avoid being detected Reduce all types of signature Visual, radar, IR, noise, dust Disrupt all stages of an engagement Detection, recognition, identification and analysis Low intensity, urban or asymmetric warfare Avoid being hit Don t identify the target Do not give away capability or gaps Control the EM environment Detect, jam, spoof and monitor potential IED firing signals

4 The Survivability Onion DON T BE SEEN Traditional camouflage, radar and IR stealth Signature Reduction, Deception DON T BE ACQUIRED DON T BE HIT Defensive aides, Decoys, Obscuration DON T BE PENETRATED DON T BE KILLED

5 Don t be acquired Johnson Criteria Detection 8 pixels wide (JC=1) There s something there Recognition 16 pixels wide (JC=4) There s a bike there Identification 32 pixels wide (JC=8) There s a child on a bike Each stage can be prevented or delayed We may want to be seen, or be unable to prevent being seen We can prevent later stages by signature reduction, jamming the signal or deceiving the viewer, we only need to make them hesitate

6 Don t be detected

7 Don t be detected Standard skirts Extended skirts

8 Don t be acquired Deception Provide false targets (and camouflage real ones) Disguise orientation Medium Mk A 1918

9 The Defensive Aids Onion DECEIVE DETECT What capability is fitted, what is the target Situational awareness, IED detection, Eavesdropping DETER Counter Surveillance, Dazzle DISRUPT Jamming and spoofing (ECM) Soft kill DAS DESTROY Hard Kill DAS

10 Defensive aids Rhino

11 Antennas Capability and RCS Visual signature and capability Antennas visually give away position They give away capability Antennas individually are radar targets Antennas become large contributors to the total structural RCS Visual signature

12 Hiding antenna and reducing their RCS i. Redirect antenna/array. Passive - park the antenna in a non-specular back scattering direction. Active - steer a null in direction ii. Screen the antenna or array as from other frequencies using FSSs iii. Impedance load the antenna iv. Radiate from novel materials Sequentially rotated fractal dipole surface (i.) requires the antenna is effectively not in operation in direction of interest. (ii) is the most popular and widely used, (iii) and (iv) are receiving a lot of attention. A Frequency Selective Surfaces (FSS) can be used to hide an antenna FSS is a periodic surface a repeating pattern of elements passive or active Courtesy: Dr Ivor Morrow (i.l.morrow@cranfield.ac.uk)

13 Low RCS Antennas and Arrays Current technologies narrowband (microstrip) antennas and arrays have active devices integrated, (pin diodes) with switchable load conditions Novel material media (gaseous plasma, magnetised ferrite) and non-linear semi-conductor transmission lines (based on PSiAn) provide negative index materials Advantages: Reduce electrical size of the antenna Easily reconfigurable Much reduced (switchable) RCS Active plasms antenna Disadvantages: Loading the antennas reduces radiation efficiency Some residual structural RCS Courtesy: Dr Ivor Morrow

14 Summary Camouflage should consider a spectrum of approaches All that is needed is a momentary delay in the response from the opposition Deception can be used to disguise the identity or intentions of the target Deception also means disguising capabilities or gaps in capabilities Numerous technologies exist which can be used to accomplish these aims Acknowledgements Dr Ivor Morrow i.l.morrow@cranfield.ac.uk Dr Daniel Clarke d.s.clarke@cranfield.ac.uk