Feature Article

October 2006

Special Paint Hides Vehicles and Buildings From Enemy Sensors

By Grace Jean

PARIS — As thermal scanners and other heat-sensitive sensors improve and proliferate, militaries have begun to realize such technologies also expose vulnerabilities, and are seeking ways to protect their troops and assets.

Intermat Defence Coatings, based in Athens, Greece, has developed an advanced technology paint that can reduce the thermal and infrared signatures of ground, naval and air vehicles and infrastructures, allowing troops to operate without triggering detection by heat-sensitive devices.

“We try to protect the object by eliminating its signature,” says Bill Filis, assistant director of the company.

The coatings can be customized to reduce temperatures to a specific degree so that objects blend in with the ambient temperature, he says.

Infrared signatures can be reduced up to 50 percent, and surface temperatures can be reduced up to 65 percent, says Filis.

While there are other coatings in the market, most other products offer protection from a small range — about 2000 nanometers — of infrared spectrum, he says. Intramat’s coatings, on the other hand, cover the wide infrared spectrum, from 400 to 20,000 nanometers. That means structures coated with the paint are indiscernible by a larger group of sensors, from thermal viewers and night vision products to satellites and laser targeting systems, says Filis.

The paints come in camouflage colors and are simple to apply. They can be sprayed on top of existing paint and are designed to last for at least three years with very minimal maintenance, says Filis.

The coatings can work on helicopters. But they haven’t been used on fixed-wing planes yet, because at high speeds, the coatings may lose performance, he says.

The U.S. Army has expressed interest in the product and the company is awaiting feedback, says Filis.

Intermat recently adapted its coating for polyester-based fabrics. It also produces anti-thermal cream and uniforms for special forces.

Email your comments to GJean@ndia.org

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