[Music] can you spot the soldier hidden in this picture go ahead look closely all right times up here he is military camouflage is witnessing miraculous advancements as technology rapidly evolved fighter jets can now avoid radars snipers can blend into the bushes and yes stealthy soldiers really can turn invisible Harry Potter's magical cloak is no longer just fiction if you can keep your troops out of the enemy's line of sight you've already taken one crucial step toward victory if you can hide your soldiers you've got the upper hand that's why militaries spend billions of dollars every
year developing the most effective camouflage systems and we're about to show you the best of the best for as long as soldiers have gone to war they've tried to blend in with their surroundings but what if they didn't have to blend in at all what if they could simply disappear there are no special effects at play here this is merely the latest next-generation camouflage technology on display known as the quantum stealth coating as you can see this whiz-bang piece of tech is an absolute game changer it was created by a canadian-based company called hyper stealth
biotechnology who since patented their mesmerizing paper-thin innovation so how does it work good question the patented material bends the light which hits it making any object behind it appear near invisible to the naked eye infrared signals thermal signatures or shadows are masked as well that means that the opponent's night-vision and heat sensors are rendered useless the company's aim was not only to conceal foot soldiers but also larger equipment such as tanks and jets unlike the more traditional camouflage materials which are limited to specific environments such as jungle or deserts with one standout color this invisibility
cloak can operate in any surroundings no matter the weather at any time of day it goes without saying that as the world of technology excels leaps and bounds with every passing year camouflage materials follow suit that kind of camouflage must be routinely tested by militaries before mass implementation so let's swivel over to a piece of technology that already boasts a proven track record of success as a tries to advance through open fields they face one significant hurdle there's nowhere to hide that's why military's decided to build their own hiding spots in the form of fake
trees why would you want to haul around a fake tree because when hollowed out it acts as a perfect spy outpost the soldier inside can radio to the front lines to indicate an imminent attack giving the troops enough time to prepare themselves it could also act as a sniper outpost this tactic isn't modern by any means it goes as far back as World War One initially implemented by the French the British and the Germans back then the trees were made of an iron shell with internal scaffolding for reinforcements and were often covered with a rough
textured concoction made from materials like pulverized sea shells that final artistic touch created a much more lifelike appearance which was key to its success as the years have passed the material has become lighter easier to install and more authentic looking soldiers uniforms have gone through billions of dollars worth of research production and upgrades over the years but no matter how advanced the outfit or how perfect the camouflage there's one thing that cannot be entirely covered the face breathing and seeing must always remain at optimum levels which makes a number of potential head wears unusable when
there are no other options the ever reliable military-grade face paint comes out to play in warmer environments camouflage face paint is the clear winner over face masks as the mercury climbs face masks can cause overheating or make the wearer feel claustrophobic which is why war paint has never lost its appeal darker paints are particularly effective they minimize the chance for light to shine or bounce off the soldiers skin a critical defense tactic in moonlit warfare these sticks can be bought individually for around 10 bucks online but to supply an entire military costs tens of millions
of dollars on a recurring basis still that's pennies on the dollar compared to the entire US military budget of seven hundred and twenty one point five billion dollars per year with a name like the shadow shield you'd expect our next piece of camouflage technology to have a double whammy approach the shadow being the evasive Ness and the shield being the protection and it livers this clever camouflage product allows the user to be able to seamlessly blend into their surroundings no matter the terrain or weather while it sounds like a piece of revolutionary equipment it's nothing
more than a plain old mirror that serves its purpose without flaw at its core it's a portable reflective folding wall no electronics no quantum stealth invisibility the outer mirrored surface is tilted forward a few degrees so that it reflects the ground in front of it therefore the target or enemy won't be staring back at themselves air forces around the world are constantly attempting to outdo one another everyone wants the fastest planes the most powerful and accurate weapons and the ability to deceive enemy radars it seems as though the US had made a monumental breakthrough in
the speed and camouflage Department in 1964 as the sr-71 blackbird took its first flight this snazzy piece of airforce technology featured a specialized titanium skin designed to protect the aircraft's aluminum airframe from the intense heat of supersonic flight this was crucial considering that it set two World Records for being able to fly faster than a speeding bullet the sleek airframe was deliberate not only for the Mach 3.3 speed but because it reflected a minimal amount of radar energy then there was the specialized black paint the sr-71 was finished in a black iron compound radar-absorbing coating
the paint made the aircraft even more difficult to target when soaring through the skies and minimized it's thermal footprint it's also the explanation for the Blackbird named the Air Force called quits too the sr-71 operations in January of 1990 following more than 34 million spent on each of the 32 units built world war ii is the most discussed modern conflict by a country mile fighter jets tanks off rotors and endless units of foot soldiers all play their part yet one underestimated simple piece of camouflage and deception proved crucial to Germany's retreat and eventual surrender see
these tanks well your eyes just might be deceiving you because they're not tanks at all they're inflatable balloons no weapons no windows no engines just air the intimidation factor of a tank back then and still to this day is unlike anything else so in order to make themselves appear more powerful than they were the allies created replica tanks to draw attention away from the real destructive ones the art of deception as a form of camouflage wasn't a new concept fake tanks were also used at the tail end of World War one and the idea itself
goes as far back as the Trojan horse we've actually got an entire video about this amazing art of trickery and the link is over in the description so check it out after this one the Allies didn't just stop at fake tanks they created a whole fake unit dubbed the ghost army this unit was made up of actors and cheap art props enemy spy planes would fly over the ghost army report their findings back to headquarters and in turn send their troops in the wrong direction clever eh what's the one creature in the animal kingdom that
is renowned for its natural ability to blend into its surroundings yep the chameleon what if the military could take this color-changing characteristic and combine it with the modern uniform they can and they have Russia's rostec state corporation presented their take on the soldier of the future it was first demonstrated on a helmet but can be adapted to clothing weapons and much larger military equipment take a look using no more power than an energy-saving lamp the electrically operated coating which covers the helmet is able to adapt its color to the surface and environment around it in
the future the material will be improved to acquire new features such as the ability to adjust color intensity as well as simulate movement the American military at one stage attempted to create a one pattern fits all uniform they called it the UCP or universal camouflage pattern uniform and it cost close to five billion dollars to develop and make before long it was a laughing stock it quickly developed a reputation as a pointless waste of time and money the reality is that until chameleon camo hits the mainstream market uniforms must be specifically adapted to their environment
here's a soldier wearing the UCP outfit and here's one wearing an 8 axe camouflage pattern designed specifically for the jungle now which one blends better exactly a tax camouflage patterns were created to perform in sand heavy or timber heavy climates the blends come in a you aired in urban which features shades of than small amounts of green or FG foliage in green which features a variety of forest terrain elements most prefer these over the universal designs do you agree everything we've seen thus far has been focused on blending in on land but what about water
what does the Navy's camo look like what about the Marines elite Navy SEALs SEAL Team six and Special Warfare combatant craft crewmen typically wear this the type 2 Navy working uniform these feature four colors and are considered a digital camouflage uniform because of their pixelated patterns the Marines on the other hand continued to use the Marine Corps combat utility uniform which comes in woodland and desert pattern options first introduced in 2002 these uniforms only cost three hundred and nineteen thousand dollars to develop meanwhile down in Australia a company called shark attack mitigation systems has created
a different kind of water-based camouflage they collaborated with an experienced team of shark researchers to determine how the marine predators sea and therefore how they hunt the end result was a $500 wetsuit that is near impossible for sharks to identify could we witness the Navy implementing these in the future would you buy one for yourself the mission of a sniper is to remain undetected at all costs they often lay in the same position for hours on end so they don't need to move around as much as most foot soldiers and therefore aren't as restricted in
what they can and cannot wear this is why the ghillie suit has seen such a high degree of success these shaggy stringy covers are typically thick and heavy but they do an excellent job at concealing their wearers go ahead just try and find the hidden soldier tick tock time's up did you find him tada surprisingly ghillie suits aren't widely expensive they're available online for the average consumer for less than 50 bucks do you have any ideas for the next major breakthrough in camo technology let us know in the comments below don't forget to like this
video subscribe to the channel and as always thank you so much for checking out the richest see you next time and have yourselves a great day [Music] you
