Invisible tanks are set to hit battlefields after BAE Systems unveiled a camouflage solution that uses electronic ink. The British defence company described the concept, that would allow a vehicle to match its camouflage to its surroundings, as “rather like a squidâ€. The solution would use electronic sensors attached to the exterior of the tank to project images of the surrounding environment onto the surface of the vehicle.
The development is part of BAE Systems armoured vehicle study, “The Future Protected Vehicle programme” and was originally presented to the UK Ministry of Defence last month as an “idea identified for exploitation”. However, a recent report on The Telegraph website suggested e-ink camouflage could hit the battlefield in the next five years.
The Future Protected Vehicle programme aims to highlight both short and long-term technologies and concepts, which can be used to boost the effectiveness of lightweight armoured vehicles.
A total of 567 technologies and 244 vehicle concepts were investigated following engagement with 35 organisations.