European Project Develops Materials for Dynamic Military Camouflage

The European Defence Agency (EDA) has completed the first phase of a project to develop materials that adjust to environmental conditions to help ground-based military systems remain hidden.

The Advanced Solutions for Camouflage of Land Systems Using Smart and Adaptive Materials (ASCALS) project focuses on materials that adapt to visible, infrared, and radar detection. As surveillance methods evolve, the research seeks new materials and applications for active camouflage.

A consortium of 10 industrial and research entities from six European Union Member States led the first phase of ASCALS. The phase, which took two years to complete, was coordinated by Adamant Composites (Greece) and included the University of Luxembourg; TNO, MIS7, and Bolidt (the Netherlands); the Military Institute of Engineer Technology (WITI) and LUBAWA S.A. (Poland); CITEVE, INEGI, and CINAMIL (Portugal); and the Swedish Defence Research Agency.

With a budget of €1.3 million, the first phase focused on developing materials that can dynamically adjust their optical, thermal, and radar signatures to enhance concealment.

The project explored innovative materials designed to adapt to various detection methods:

Electrochromic materials – Capable of changing color and reflectance on demand to blend into different environments.

Liquid crystals – Modify light transmission and reflection, particularly in infrared wavelengths, making objects harder to detect.

Phase-change materials – Control heat emission to manage thermal signatures and adapt to varying temperatures.

Graphene and electrolyte structures – Leverage graphene’s properties for infrared and radar signal reduction, with electrolyte combinations offering controllability.

Controllable meta-surfaces – Use an array of patches controlled via a custom app to dynamically adjust reflected radar signals.

These adaptive materials respond quickly to environmental changes, enabling real-time camouflage.

ASCALS II

ASCALS I has laid the groundwork for further development. ASCALS II will focus on advancing these technologies, with plans to conduct field tests on military platforms by 2027, subject to Member States’ interest and support. Future applications may extend to air and maritime platforms.