Designing Hyperspectral Stealth Coatings: An Inside Look at Camouflage Technology

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) can be used to design stealth coatings that blend into desert soil environments, according to a recent study published in Scientific Reports (1). The study, led by researchers from Xihua University and the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, demonstrated how HSI can be useful in military and environmental research to help mimic the spectral signatures of natural backgrounds, such as deserts as viewed using HSI from an aerial perspective.

Red Dirt road texture. Soil background. | Image Credit: © Darcraft - stock.adobe.com

HSI is a technique that takes an image and gets the spectrum for every pixel (2). It is a technique that allows researchers to acquire more detail about the spectra of a given sample, making it useful in applications such as food quality safety, and recycling (2). Because of the technique’s advantages, it is being explored for its applicability in military science endeavors, including the development of stealth camouflage technologies to “hide” from HSI detection.

Camouflage technology is an upgrade from traditional camouflage, which relies on visual similarities (1). Camouflage technology, on the other hand, uses stealth coatings to mimic spectral signatures of natural backgrounds, which makes it almost possible to detect (1). In this study from China, researchers proposed a new method for designing and developing hyperspectral stealth coatings for desert soil environments. The published study serves as an exploration of how spectral characteristics can be leveraged to create highly effective camouflage coatings within the 400–2500 nm spectral range (1).

In their study, the researchers extracted soil samples from the Gansu Province. After removing the extra impurities, the soil powder was treated with a 30% hydrogen peroxide solution to eradicate the organic matter still in the powder (1). Through analyzing the composition and spectral characteristics of the desert soil, the researchers discovered that iron oxides predominantly influenced the soil’s color and spectral properties in the 400–1000 nm range (1). Meanwhile, quartz and montmorillonite significantly affected spectral reflections between 1000–2500 nm (1).

This information was vital in developing the stealth coating because the coatings need to replicate the spectral signatures of the mineralogical components of the desert soil. This evaluation was done by analyzing spectral variations and structural differences in soil samples to make the stealth coating (1). The newly designed coating exhibited consistent spectral behavior in the 400–1000 nm range and matched key spectral peaks at 1414 nm, 1915 nm, 2212 nm, 2250 nm, and 2346 nm (1).

Multispectral imaging and thermal infrared (IR) tests were then used to evaluate the effectiveness of the stealth coating. The tests came back positive: the coating was sufficient to blend into the desert background, making it an ideal solution for camouflage in arid environments (1). The results highlight the potential applications of hyperspectral stealth coatings in military, surveillance, and environmental monitoring efforts (1).

However, more work needs to be done. Because the researchers showed in their study that the spectral intensity of the desert soil is influenced by the surface morphology and particle size, hyperspectral stealth coatings have the potential to be further improved for differing soil conditions (1). Doing so would make this technology more versatile for stealth in different geographic regions and environments (1).

The ability to create coatings that seamlessly blend into their surroundings is an ongoing development for military camouflage techniques, to reduce visibility across both visible and infrared spectral regions. HSI continues to advance, and it is evident from this study that its use in military applications will continue to expand. The expectation is that next-generation stealth materials will be created and developed, all of which have the capability of achieving near-invisibility across a wide range of natural and artificial backgrounds (1).

References

1. Ma, X., Wei, B., Qing, X.; et al. A Hyperspectral Stealth Material Design Method Based on the Composition and Mixing Spectral Feature of Desert Soil. Sci. Rep. 2025, 15, 1757. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-85671-2
2. Specim, What is Hyperspectral Imaging? Specim.com. Available at: https://www.specim.com/technology/what-is-hyperspectral-imaging/#:~:text=Hyperspectral%20imaging%20is%20a%20technique,and%20monitoring%20in%20pharmaceutical%20production. (accessed 2025-02-05).