Methods for visual concealment in war were documented by Sun Tzu in his book The Art of War in the 5th century BC, and by Frontinus in his work Strategemata in the 1st century AD. The earliest application of camouflage in warfare is impossible to ascertain. 7 Reducing radio frequency (RF) emissionsĬamouflage to aid or avoid predation predates humanity, and hunters have been using vegetation to conceal themselves perhaps as long as people have been hunting.3.3 Radar stealth countermeasures and limits.The degree of stealth embodied in a given design is chosen according to the projected threats of detection. A modern stealth vehicle is designed from the outset to have a chosen spectral signature. Some military uniforms are treated with chemicals to reduce their infrared signature. As the potency of detection and interception technologies ( radar, infrared search and tracking, surface-to-air missiles, etc.) have increased, so too has the extent to which the design and operation of military personnel and vehicles have been affected in response. This concept was first explored through camouflage to make an object's appearance blend into the visual background. The concept of stealth is to operate or hide while giving enemy forces no indication as to the presence of friendly forces. Such changes to shape and surface composition comprise stealth technology as currently used on the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit 'Stealth Bomber'. Radiation-absorbent material was also tested and made to reduce or block radar signals that reflect off the surfaces of aircraft. Designers turned to developing a specific shape for planes that tended to reduce detection by redirecting electromagnetic radiation waves from radars. It corresponds to military camouflage for these parts of the electromagnetic spectrum (i.e., multi-spectral camouflage).ĭevelopment of modern stealth technologies in the United States began in 1958, where earlier attempts to prevent radar tracking of its U-2 spy planes during the Cold War by the Soviet Union had been unsuccessful. Stealth technology, also termed low observable technology ( LO technology), is a sub-discipline of military tactics and passive and active electronic countermeasures, which covers a range of methods used to make personnel, aircraft, ships, submarines, missiles, satellites, and ground vehicles less visible (ideally invisible) to radar, infrared, sonar and other detection methods.

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