US Army spends hundreds of thousands advancing fog-like obscurants

Published time: October 06, 2012 22:21
Edited time: October 07, 2012 18:33
(AFP Photo /  Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall)

The US Army has given firms three grants to upgrade flare systems used to mask the heat signature of prized fighting machines. The heat-obscuring chemical, used for the past 60 years, has been deemed dangerous to health and the environment.

Three private companies – Lynntech, Inc., Nanotrons and Physical Sciences – will be in charge of developing new countermeasures, to replace weapons that have been accused of releasing harmful copper into the air when a smoke bomb is detonated.The US government will give the firms around $100,000 to complete the task.

The “dust clouds”, which aim to impede the ability of heat-obscuring weapons to detect heat signatures, can have adverse health effects on whoever inhales the smoke particles. Most obscurants used today are made from metal particles – often bronze – and have “significant environmental persistence that may pose health hazards,” Wired reports.

Ingesting too much copper, which is found in bronze, can cause gastrointestinal health problems and in serious cases lead to liver and kidney damage. Inhaling copper particles can also cause respiratory irritation, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

A study by the National Academies Press found that exposure to the toxic smoke from obscurants causes pulmonary congestion, alveolitis, chronic pneumonia, and lung inflammation.

But smoke screens have been used since the 1950’s to allow the US military to hide from missiles. The heat-obscuring chemicals form metallic dust clouds around equipment that emits infrared radiation, masking prized assets such as tanks, planes and other military hardware.Military planes also deploy flares to divert missiles heading their way.

To block infrared, you fill a grenade with bronze flakes and detonate it,” near the object you want to hide, said scientist John Lennhoff, who works for a company hired to develop the obscurant.

The US Army is now spending about $300,000 to develop better obscurants, which the government hopes will consist of a less dangerous chemical compound.

Comments (9)

A.Patriot (unregistered) 08.10.2012 07:57

All modern army's fully use and deploy combat weapons platforms that have Infra-Red sighting and sensors. Every day individuals now have access to night-scopes and Infra-Red illuminator.

This of course pushes the need or 'desire' for military agencys to attempt to mask the IR signatures when possible however in the case of the newest Russian manpad missiles and I suspect the same technology has gone into the Russian ground-air and air-air anti-aircraft missiles which now utilize UV (ultra-violet) sensors which would laugh at the proliferation of flares commonly used by Israeli and USA/NATO forces to try and avoid a heat seeking missile.

IR infantry suits are bulky and would quickly sap the wearer if they wore one even for a full hour so that is largely another USA Billion dollar taxpayer revenue research  pipe dream. Relatively cheap nightscopes easily pick up the IR signature of advancing individuals.

If a soldier or military platform flashes a IR illuminator in a modern battlefield, that is like a bright spotlight to anyone using a IR site, or nightscope, nightvision goggles making them an immediate target if they are that foolish.

In regards to the rash of unarmed Bahrain protesters which are documented by various reports as several adults dieing from the clouds of Tear Gas in open public places, that indicates the Bahrain despots are using more than made in USA Tear Gas and as I alleged earlier might be mixing that with a known toxic gas such as cyanide which is expelled by a Yellow Gas. There are zeros reason why photos of USA Tear Gas used on Bahrain protesters would have a very noticeable Yellow Gas mixed with the Tear Gas (off-white-grey).

What is amazing is how much the Bahrain people hate USA and want America OUT. Only the corrupt despot emir and his crooked bribes from the 5th. fleet USS Naval Base in Bahrain are keeping USA propping up yet another evil regime.

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AmericanInRomania (unregistered) 07.10.2012 15:46

"The heat-obscuring chemical, used for the past 60 years, has been deemed dangerous to health and the environment."  ==  I think from the soldiers point of view, getting hit by a heat seeking missile is worse for your health and the environment.

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JJ win Nobel Prize For Peace (unregistered) 07.10.2012 13:44

JJ (unregistered) wrote in #12
I got a better idea why don't we just kill every Zionist, Neocon, Democrat,
and then we won't have people starting wars all the time.  Get rid of the Fed,
the Rothchilds Banks, let's clearn up the real mess, anyone that wants war,
shoot them.



Remove it from the Muslim Brotherhood Soros puppet nowand give the prize to you JJ.Kill all the kykes and any that stand with them. Peace willbe achieved before the debris lands.

+1

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