SAAB’s approach to Armour in Indian desert
May 27th, 2009
Indian armour has a potent enemy – the desert. By now, its largely known about the drawbacks of operating armour in Thar desert where peak summer temperatures reach beyond & in excess of 50 degree centigrade. The Armour interiors reach a temperature of 60 + degree centigrade. The excessive heat builds up within, adversely, affecting performance of equipment & crew alike. The equipment such as electronic thermal sights, servo systems, etc malfunction & even gun firings do not achieve optimum results. The hot interiors are uncomfortable for crew to consistently perform duties for any long periods. At 70 degrees plus, it is impossible to handle the equipment & some sensitive equipment may even start melting.
Modern main battle tanks (MBT) like Arjun Tank come with lots of sensitive electronic equipments including the TI sights. Most equipment have been sourced from suppliers abroad who have little need to operate under such harsh conditions and hence the equipment failure. The existing Indian tank fleet of T-90s, T-72s & Arjun Tanks face identical issues. It is not just the equipment; the man inside the tank faces such issues irrespective of which MBT they work on.
Barracuda Camouflage Ltd, Gurgaon, India, part of Saab Barracuda, AB, Sweden has been working on these issues with Indian armour. The focus has been primarily on the Multi-spectral Camouflage through Barracuda Signature management process & Solar Heat Reduction within the MBT, enabling resultantly, the equipment to be battle worthy & operational at all times.
To attend to severe desert conditions & ensure smooth working, Barracuda has introduced the world renown Mobile Camouflage Systems (MCS) on Arjun Tank, complete with Heat Reduction Systems incorporated therein.
For “camouflage on the move”, Barracuda replaced static MSCN net with MCS. The conventional MSCN nets are deployed when equipment is parked & stationary. The nets deceive the enemy & make it more difficult for them to detect, recognise & identify armour in entire band of Electro magnetic field. i.e. The reduced signatures are helpful in near IR, Thermal IR & Radar ranges, etc.
The trial for this system has taken place during summer of 2008 on the Arjun Tank at Suratgarh. The success has led to Indian Army thinking of implementing it on T-90s and T-72s, which have encountered identical limitations in operations in desert areas in summer.
MCS provides identical camouflage properties by mounting it on surface of MBT & any other equipment used in war like conditions. Barracuda has many years experience & are the first & only company having provided over 1400 such MCS covers for equipment all over the world. In India, Barracuda has been at work with sophisticated missile projects having provided MSCN systems initially & recently the company confirms having made shipments of MCS kits too.
The heat management for the sub systems and men was taken up by cutting down the heat build up by the sun. Barracuda undertakes turn key projects with Armed Forces for introduction of MCS which is platform specific. In case of Arjun Tanks (it is true for all MBTs & other fighting equipment alike), the company mobilizes resources to map terrain, equipment in working locations, temperature charts, etc to design specific add on elements to surface of the tank. For hot spots in particular, much more engineering inputs decide the level of reduction of thermal radiation into the hull & also reduce thermal signatures.
More at India
May 27th, 2009
Indian armour has a potent enemy – the desert. By now, its largely known about the drawbacks of operating armour in Thar desert where peak summer temperatures reach beyond & in excess of 50 degree centigrade. The Armour interiors reach a temperature of 60 + degree centigrade. The excessive heat builds up within, adversely, affecting performance of equipment & crew alike. The equipment such as electronic thermal sights, servo systems, etc malfunction & even gun firings do not achieve optimum results. The hot interiors are uncomfortable for crew to consistently perform duties for any long periods. At 70 degrees plus, it is impossible to handle the equipment & some sensitive equipment may even start melting.
Modern main battle tanks (MBT) like Arjun Tank come with lots of sensitive electronic equipments including the TI sights. Most equipment have been sourced from suppliers abroad who have little need to operate under such harsh conditions and hence the equipment failure. The existing Indian tank fleet of T-90s, T-72s & Arjun Tanks face identical issues. It is not just the equipment; the man inside the tank faces such issues irrespective of which MBT they work on.
Barracuda Camouflage Ltd, Gurgaon, India, part of Saab Barracuda, AB, Sweden has been working on these issues with Indian armour. The focus has been primarily on the Multi-spectral Camouflage through Barracuda Signature management process & Solar Heat Reduction within the MBT, enabling resultantly, the equipment to be battle worthy & operational at all times.
To attend to severe desert conditions & ensure smooth working, Barracuda has introduced the world renown Mobile Camouflage Systems (MCS) on Arjun Tank, complete with Heat Reduction Systems incorporated therein.
For “camouflage on the move”, Barracuda replaced static MSCN net with MCS. The conventional MSCN nets are deployed when equipment is parked & stationary. The nets deceive the enemy & make it more difficult for them to detect, recognise & identify armour in entire band of Electro magnetic field. i.e. The reduced signatures are helpful in near IR, Thermal IR & Radar ranges, etc.
The trial for this system has taken place during summer of 2008 on the Arjun Tank at Suratgarh. The success has led to Indian Army thinking of implementing it on T-90s and T-72s, which have encountered identical limitations in operations in desert areas in summer.
MCS provides identical camouflage properties by mounting it on surface of MBT & any other equipment used in war like conditions. Barracuda has many years experience & are the first & only company having provided over 1400 such MCS covers for equipment all over the world. In India, Barracuda has been at work with sophisticated missile projects having provided MSCN systems initially & recently the company confirms having made shipments of MCS kits too.
The heat management for the sub systems and men was taken up by cutting down the heat build up by the sun. Barracuda undertakes turn key projects with Armed Forces for introduction of MCS which is platform specific. In case of Arjun Tanks (it is true for all MBTs & other fighting equipment alike), the company mobilizes resources to map terrain, equipment in working locations, temperature charts, etc to design specific add on elements to surface of the tank. For hot spots in particular, much more engineering inputs decide the level of reduction of thermal radiation into the hull & also reduce thermal signatures.
More at India
