The lightweight garment uses a low‑emissivity polyamide fabric with silver inclusions
Unveiled at the Brave1 Defence Tech Valley exhibition in Ukraine, a new thermal‑camouflage poncho has been developed to reduce soldiers’ visibility to infrared sensors as drones and other thermal platforms become commonplace on the battlefield.
The lightweight garment uses a low‑emissivity polyamide fabric with silver inclusions, a combination the manufacturer, Oboronka, says reflects heat and limits infrared emissions so that a wearer’s thermal signature blends more readily with the surrounding environment. According to Oboronka, the poncho can reduce the chance of detection by thermal imagers out to about 100 metres in forested terrain and as far as 250 metres in open ground.
Rather than simply trapping heat, the design incorporates vents that release body warmth gradually, preventing the sharp temperature contrasts that make personnel easy to spot through IR optics. The system is intended for short, tactical use: Oboronka states the poncho performs for roughly two hours of continuous wear before it needs a cooldown period of about 10 minutes to return to ambient temperature.
Developers say the material retains its stealth properties through repeated use and avoids some of the drawbacks of earlier thermal concealment prototypes that relied on aluminium or copper‑nickel layers, which could degrade with washing or cause skin irritation.
The kit has undergone a full technical testing regime, including validation by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence and certification from the State Research Institute for Testing and Certification of Armaments and Military Equipment. Field trials were carried out with the Armed Forces, National Guard and National Police to evaluate effectiveness in realistic conditions.
As thermal sensors and loitering platforms proliferate in both conventional and irregular warfare, measures to minimise thermal visibility are being treated as a growing priority for infantry survivability. The poncho’s developers say the new approach offers a practical countermeasure for short‑term concealment, albeit with operational limits that commanders will need to factor into planning.
