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Patterns may be licensed only with permission. Lightning and Thunder Disruption Camouflage Patterns
(March 24, 2006, Vancouver, B.C.) HyperStealth Biotechnology Corp. known for cutting edge digital camouflage designs has been working with the Kingdom of Jordan on an aircraft concealment program for the past two years. see Defense Industry Daily Article The author of the article asks a few key questions: Ground-related fractal patterns certainly have obvious advantages for low level strike aircraft like the Tornado IDS, but what about the times when an aircraft is engaged against an aerial or even an ocean background? That's why American jets tend to use a dull grey blend effect instead, making them harder to spot at a distance against a wide variety of backgrounds. When asked about the utility of camouflage patterns for aircraft, versus the USA's tested uniform grey compromise, Hyperstealth President Guy Cramer replied that misdirection had its own value: 
Sukhoi SU-37
(click to view full) "Russia uses camouflage on their modern aircraft and they usually don't go to any extra expense unless research has proved an advantage. So while camouflage may be used to reduce a visible signature it can also be used to deceive and confuse. Most camouflage schemes on Russian aircraft are designed to break the symmetry axis so the target is difficult to recognize and identify... [see also the painted] canopy on the underside the [Canadian] CF-18 uses under close combat conditions - it is enough to confuse the brain of the adversary to believe the CF-18 top side is facing him and will thus counter move in the wrong direction...." A delay of even a couple of seconds in identifying the type and orientation of an enemy aircraft can indeed be decisive. The question is whether an advantage against one background type would cancel out its utility by being a disadvantage against other backgrounds. Cramer replied by stating to DID that it is possible to create a combined fractal pattern that both blends (like the American grey) and disrupts effectively (like the Russian patterns) against a variety of viewing backgrounds. The camouflage design team of Dr. Timothy R. O'Neill and Guy Cramer have, in response to these questions, developed the lightning camouflage pattern in these simulations of Canadian Forces aircraft which shows the pattern effectively conceals aircraft for ground, sea, overcast and blue sky. The team then used proprietary fractal algorithms to take this pattern to convert it to a pixalated background texture match (Digital camouflage) which helps match the background at closer tactical distances and dithers the pattern at farther distances for improved disruption. What's so different about these HyperStealth patterns versus other patterns other than the digital aspect? In this case the Lightning and Thunder patterns; there is only the need to increase or decrease scale to be applied for an aircraft, vehicle or ship where typically camouflage patterns are designed for each particular type and different shape of each vehicle. In other words the HyperStealth fractal patterns are designed to break the symmetry axis of most objects by rescale only. Simple techniques have been developed by HyperStealth to allow these complex digital patterns to be painted on aircraft (or other vehicle or ship) with little training. Colors would be changed for Arid and Desert regions. The Canadian Forces CF-18 fighters
have a false canopy painted on the underside and have been since the
Canadian Forces used the F-18. The U.S. Navy now has a number of F-18's in
the fleet that have begun to adopt this false canopy on the underside as you
will see in recent documentaries on the newest Aircraft Carriers on the
Military Channel. The addition of the lightning or thunder disruptive patterns help hide the air intakes on the underside thus increasing the effectiveness of the false canopy in Air Combat.
The Canadian Sea Kings will be replaced by the Sikorsky CH-148 CYCLONE
based on proven BLACK HAWK technology, the Sikorsky H-92 SUPERHAWK to be
renamed the CH-148 Cyclone for the Canadian Forces will assume all the
roles of the Sea King, including anti-submarine warfare, beyond visual
identification, search and rescue, as well as ship to shore delivery.
The Canadian Government decided on the purchase of 28. The Canadian Forces will be the first military customer for the aircraft and the first to use it as a shipborne aircraft. Canada is currently in talks to buy the F-35 U.S. fighter as Ottawa has already invested $150 million in development of the Joint Strike Fighter. The French-made Sperwers (tactical
uninhabited aerial vehicles - TUAV's) are blasted into the air on a
truck-mounted rail-launch system, going from zero to 160 kilometres per
hour in one-quarter of a second. Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives said part of their Arctic sovereignty strategy involves monitoring remote frozen inlets with these drones An entire flight of Sperwer tactical uninhabited aerial vehicles (6-12 aircraft) will soon be fully operational for reconnaissance missions over the windswept desert and craggy mountains passes in the vicinity of Kandahar. Having drones available means
highly-trained fixed-wing and helicopter pilots can be saved for combat
missions instead of being exposed to danger in what are often routine
intelligence-gathering missions. For more Camouflage news go to the HyperStealth® Home Page References: Department of National Defence / Canadian Forces http://www.dnd.ca/ Canada's air force to establish first all pilotless formation in Afghanistan http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2006/03/18/1494350-cp.html http://www.hyperstealth.com/specam/science/index.html http://www.hyperstealth.com/digital-design/index.htm |
This page and information © Copyright 2006,Guy Cramer,Timothy R. O'Neill, All Rights Reserved.
HyperStealth is a Registered Canadian Trademark of HyperStealth.
"Lightning Camouflage" is a Trademark of Guy Cramer and Timothy R. O'Neill
"Digital Thunder Camouflage" is a Trademark of Guy Cramer and Timothy R. O'Neill
