IIT-M develops tech to make military equipment invisible to radar

New Delhi: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi have developed a material that can make stealth vehicles and covert establishments less visible to the radar.

According to the team, the material can absorb a wide range of radar frequencies (signals), irrespective of the direction from which the radar signal hits the target. It can also be used to cover windows or glass panels of stealth vehicles and covert establishments that must be invisible to radar.

The research has been published in the journal "IEEE Letters on Electromagnetic Compatibility Practice and Applications". Shrikanth Reddy, Assistant Professor, School of Computing and Electrical Engineering, IIT Mandi, explained that radars are used in defence and civil sectors for surveillance, and navigation, to detect and track aircraft, ships, ground vehicles, and movements within covert establishments.

"Being invisible to radar is a crucial defence strategy and the ability to evade radar detection can reduce the chances of being targeted by enemy weapons," Reddy said in a statement. "Any technique that makes things invisible to radar can also be used in the commercial sector to reduce radiation leakages from buildings and make them more secure. For example, invisibility to radar can also be used in private or covert establishments for the protection of information and privacy," he said.

Radar Cross Section (RCS) reduction is a way to make something less visible to radar. RCS reduction is achieved by using materials that can absorb radar signals, or by shaping the object in a way that makes it difficult for radar to detect.

"We have developed a technology based on Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) that absorbs a wide range of frequencies used in radar, which makes the surface invisible to radar," Reddy explained.