New suit conceals heat signatures.

• Author: Insinna, Valerie
• Position: SOLDIER EQUIPMENT

It can be difficult for a soldier to blend into surrounding terrain when an adversary is equipped with infrared and thermal sensors, but a new camouflage suit may be able to conceal users' heat signatures,

The NEMESIS "turkey suit" made by Gore and Raven Aerostar can reduce the range of detection by visual, near-infrared and short-, medium- and long-wave infrared sensors, company officials said.

The NEMESIS textile randomly breaks up and dissipates body heat so that the user's silhouette is no longer visible when seen through an infrared device, said John Holcombe, Gore's business leader for advanced military products.

"Our goal is to actually make the system basically match the clutter of what you see in the environment," he said. "You actually want some hot spots, some cold spots. You want it to look non-human."

"We're trying to reflect the energy from the environment and scatter it," he said. "We're also trying to let the heat from the body still escape randomly as well, so it's not all going toward the sensors."

Thermal sensors can effectively detect body heat from about 5,000 feet away, but the suit cuts that distance by more than half, he said.

It comprises a jacket, pants, hood and face shield and is worn as an overgarment. Like a ghillie suit used by snipers, the textile mimics leaves, which helps hide the outline of the body and dissipate heat outward. The suit also incorporates a netting-like material that helps with ventilation.

Other suits provide concealment by...