The next counter-drone solution for Arctic troops may not come in the form of missiles or lasers, but a poncho designed to hide users from thermal and ultraviolet (UV) sensors.
Developed by Swedish defense giant Saab, the Barracuda Poncho is the latest addition to the company’s Soldier System line of advanced camouflage technologies.
The wearable system is built to provide multispectral protection across a range of operational environments, from forests and deserts to extreme Arctic conditions.
Weighing just over 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds), the poncho can be fully worn by a soldier in about 5 seconds, allowing troops to quickly conceal themselves during drone-heavy operations.
It also features a reversible day-and-night configuration designed to give soldiers near-instant protection from aerial surveillance at different stages of deployment.
“Barracuda Poncho is our answer to the recent rise in [drone-based] surveillance on the battlefield, where a mission can be compromised if the soldier even briefly leaves a camouflaged vehicle or position,” Saab Barracuda Head Henning Robach said.
“Building on the positive response from our Soldier System, the new Barracuda Poncho solution provides an alternative camouflage solution, focusing on wearability while retaining the exceptional multispectral protection.”
Multispectral Battlefield Concealment
Unlike the wearable Barracuda Poncho, the original Barracuda Soldier System is a thermal net-based camouflage solution designed to attach to a soldier’s helmet.
The system protects users from a wide range of detection methods, including UV, visual, near-infrared, and short-wave infrared sensors.
According to Saab, both the Soldier System and the Barracuda Poncho are part of a broader effort to reduce the visibility of military assets ranging from individual soldiers to vehicles and larger operational units.
The company also claims to be the first to offer protection across the full spectrum of battlefield sensors instead of focusing on a single detection method.
“All parts of your force, from the single soldier on a mission in a sensor dense environment, to a fully multispectral camouflaged operational base, every asset requires the capability to minimize the probability to be detected,” the company stated.
