(1. Unit 96901 of Peoples Liberation Army, Beijing 100094, China) (2. College of Aerospace Science and Engineering, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China)
With the development of modern investigation and guidance technology, weapon equipments are facing serious threats of being detected and attacked on the battlefield. Moreover, during the combat process, changes in terrain, seasons, weather and time may cause the battlefield environment to be complex and variable, which further lead to the possibility of weapons and equipments being detected. Although the traditional camouflage technology is suitable for a specific type of background environment and solves the camouflage problem of the target to a certain extent, it is difficult to meet the camouflage requirements in the cross-region, all seasons and multiple periods. Adaptive camouflage technology is a new camouflage technology, which can actively change its detectable features to maintain good camouflage effects according to the changes in background conditions. It can effectively improve the survivability of the target on the battlefield. In this paper, the system compositions of adaptive camouflage are introduced, the traditional implementation approaches and latest development status of adaptive camouflage technology in visible, infrared and radar bands are reviewed. It is proposed that the integration of adaptive bands, implementation methods, system components and functions, and the development of new materials are the future development directions of adaptive camouflage materials and technology.