Israel’s Polaris Solutions, in collaboration with the Israel Ministry of Defense (MoD), has unveiled a redesigned camouflage net that makes soldiers virtually ‘invisible’ to both the human eye and thermal cameras.
The new hi-tech camouflage net, called Kit 300, is a lightweight and compact sheet that “suits multipurpose use in the field and improves operational capability.” It covers the entire body of the soldier and is made of thermal, visual concealment (TVC) material that combines microfibres, metals, and polymers to make soldiers harder to see with a range of thermal cameras.
The Kit 300 sheet weighs 500 grams and folds up into a small roll. Soldiers can wrap it around themselves when on the move and join their sheets together to build a barrier that resembles rock when they set up a position. “Someone staring at them with binoculars from afar will not see soldiers,” said Dr. Gal Harari, the head of the Detectors and Imaging Technology Branch of the MoD’s research and development unit.
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The net is double-sided, each of which has its own colorization to blend into the battlefield – one side is to be used when in dense vegetation, and the other is designed for more desert-like areas. The company states that it will customize patterns and coloring based on needs.
Moreover, the sheet is waterproof and can provide military personnel with a shelter that can stand like a small tent. It is sturdy enough to mold into three-dimensional shapes and can be used as a stretcher to carry wounded soldiers of up to 500 pounds (about 227 kg) – a far lighter solution than the current set-up where a squad member has to carry a dedicated stretcher weighing several kilograms.
The product is being tested by several units, the company says.
