DSEi 2011: Stealth poncho will make Italian soldiers invisible

A stealth poncho designed to reduce the IR and radar signature of snipers in the field is on display at the DSEi exhibition in London.

The poncho is part of a new military clothing range designed and manufactured by Aero Sekur for the Italian MoD's Forza NEC, or Future Soldier project.

The poncho is designed to virtually eliminate the heat signature of the soldier wearing it. Produced out of a combination of several different fabrics, the poncho can be quickly tucked in to a pocket when not needed.

Mark Butler, CEO at Aero Sekur, told Shephard: 'Soldiers with all the radio equipment and systems they carry these days means they are the source of EM emissions. Wearing the poncho reduces his risk of detection.'

Aero Sekur has also developed new CBRN suits and gas masks as well as a new combat suit which is both light weight and rip-proof. Rather than separating the elements like body armour and utility pockets, the Aero Sekur solution combines both elements reducing the weight carried by the infantryman as well as giving him freer arm movement to use his weapon.

The company is also developing a series of micro sensors for what the company calls 'body mapping.'

The sensors would mean that commanders would not only know where their soldiers were in the battlespace but also get an impression of their condition through the monitoring of heart-rate and other functions.

Other sensors could be attached to the soldier's uniform and measure levels of radioactivity, bio-hazards or gas and warn the soldier to don his CBRN suit.

'Today's modern soldier is an expensive asset,' said Butler, 'They are highly trained and highly mobile and with the public acceptance of casualties these days it is essential to give them best equipment and technology possible.'

The company is also working on an inflatable enclosure system which will form part of the 'fly-away' maintenance package for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The system is being designed to give engineers access to different parts of the aircraft.