Armored Unit Concealment Demonstration

A field demonstration was conducted with the Army Armored Company to test a specialized camouflage net. The netting is double-sided: one side forest green, the other side desert sand yellow. The scenario was a mixed terrain with bare soil and sparse shrubs. Tanks and armored vehicles were parked in a half-cleared area; the vehicle tops and sides were draped with the green side of the netting, which matched the surrounding vegetation. Net edges touched the ground. Around each vehicle, soil and local vegetation (sticks and rocks) were used to hold down and break up the pattern.

For the ground plane, the net was deliberately flipped to its yellow side, camouflaging the soil surface and eliminating vehicle footprint shadows. The crews anchored the nets with rocks and branches to prevent wind creases and visible folds. The camouflage engineers also made sure the vehicles’ exhaust vents remained partially open, allowing heat to escape without large IR signatures.

The net system proved effective in this live concealment test. Reconnaissance from a drone passed over without detecting any distinct tank outlines. The mixed green-and-yellow pattern successfully blended the vehicles into the patchy terrain. During evaluation, analysts noted that the improvised net covering significantly reduced visible contrasts. The method also avoided calling attention to uniform net blocks, since the edges blended seamlessly with natural features. This demonstration confirmed that a reversible camo net can adapt to complex ground cover and aid in vehicle concealment.