British Defense Researchers Create Invisible Tank

[dt3]

FOXNews.com - British Defense Researchers Create Invisible Tank - Science News | Current Articles

British defense researchers have invented an invisible tank — or at least a way to make a tank invisible.
London's Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and Sun all report on tests conducted by the Ministry of Defence last week in which a tank rolled across a field, completely invisible to observers standing at a certain point.
"This technology is incredible," an unnamed soldier was quoted by the Daily Mail and Sun. "If I hadn't been present I wouldn't have believed it. I looked across the fields and just saw grass and trees — but in reality I was staring down the barrel of a tank gun."
http://www.foxnews.com/technology/innovation/
Before bloggers start making comparisons to Harry Potter and Romulan spacecraft, it must be noted that the "technology" relies on heavy use of camera and projectors.
Basically, a camera films the background, which is then projected upon a special surface applied to something in the foreground — in this case, a tank.

A Japanese guy in a translucent raincoat has become very popular on YouTube demonstrating something similar, as you can see here.
One person was willing to go on the record in all three British newspaper stories — theoretical physicist Sir John Pendry of Imperial College London, one of the world's leading experts on surface reflectivity and lead author of a widely reported paper last year that said a "cloak of invisibility" would theoretically be possible.
"The drawback at the moment is the dependence upon cameras and projectors," the Sun quoted Pendry, who did not confirm an implied connection with the defense project. "The next stage is to make the tank invisible without them — which is intricate and complicated, but possible."

Bad. Ass.

 

[dt3]

Haha, I didn't know it was gonna put the video of the rain coat in, the article just had a link

 

[UncleBacon]

sweet

 

[All Else Failed]

Wait, don't British tanks have some of the most advanced armor ever on their tanks?

 

[sexy.time]

wow, thats freakin cool.

 

[dt3]

Wait, don't British tanks have some of the most advanced armor ever on their tanks?

As do ours, but not being seen is even better

 

[All Else Failed]

What nation that has the capability to knock out one of our tanks is going to stand against the UK or US? Considering most of the nations with advanced weaponry are not hostile towards us or the UK. It just seems like needless defense spending.


It is cool technology though.

 

[dt3]

What nation that has the capability to knock out one of our tanks is going to stand against the UK or US? Considering most of the nations with advanced weaponry are not hostile towards us or the UK. It just seems like needless defense spending.


It is cool technology though.

True, but today's friend could easily be tomorrow's enemy. Or selling weapons to tomorrow's enemy.

 

[All Else Failed]

True, but today's friend could easily be tomorrow's enemy. Or selling weapons to tomorrow's enemy.

What first world countries would they be? France? Sweden?

 

[Sparkler]

Next they wont be able to find where they left it

 

[COOL_BREEZE2]

Invisible nuclear arms.<----------

Now, won't that be a hoot?

 

[TheOriginalJames]

What nation that has the capability to knock out one of our tanks is going to stand against the UK or US? Considering most of the nations with advanced weaponry are not hostile towards us or the UK. It just seems like needless defense spending.


It is cool technology though.

A tank is a tank, even a POS iraqi tank has the ability to knock out an Abrams, but even more dangerous our the foot soldiers with rockets.

 

[sharpies]

Quote from the Shah of Iran "Who needs tanks when you have nukes?"

Well maybe he said something like that.

Allan

 

[All Else Failed]

A tank is a tank, even a POS iraqi tank has the ability to knock out an Abrams, but even more dangerous our the foot soldiers with rockets.

Highly unlikely. I don't think one tank was lost to a Iraqi tank during both Desert storm and this war. RPG's can't penetrate it's armor either.

 

[TheOriginalJames]

Highly unlikely. I don't think one tank was lost to a Iraqi tank during both Desert storm and this war. RPG's can't penetrate it's armor either.

Wow, you're mistaken. I've watched Abrams get rocked by radioactive tipped RPGs.. (army testing videos)

An Abrams isn't inpenetrable in the slightest. Besides that, an RPG can knock out the main gun or the tracks, either making it useless in a dog fight or a sitting duck.

The only reason we didn't lose any is because of the technology that's built into it, and the range of the gun.

 

[All Else Failed]

Wow, you're mistaken. I've watched Abrams get rocked by radioactive tipped RPGs.. (army testing videos)

An Abrams isn't inpenetrable in the slightest. Besides that, an RPG can knock out the main gun or the tracks, either making it useless in a dog fight or a sitting duck.

The only reason we didn't lose any is because of the technology that's built into it, and the range of the gun.

it's not impenetrable, but a RPG 7 round will not penetrate it's armor. You're probably thinking of a Bradley fighting vehicle. I've never heard of "radioactive tipped RPGs" before, and I'm pretty big on weaponry.

 

[TheOriginalJames]

I'm sorry I'm tired, but the armor on the Abrams is radioactive of some sort. It's been a long time since I've read about them. But I have watched RPGs put holes in the side of an Abrams.

 

[TheOriginalJames]

Depleted uranium... I'll be damned if that was going to come to me without reading it.

Depleted uranium tipped RPGs have torn up Depleted uranium armored tanks.

 

[All Else Failed]

I'm sorry I'm tired, but the armor on the Abrams is radioactive of some sort. It's been a long time since I've read about them. But I have watched RPGs put holes in the side of an Abrams.

Most main battle tanks now a days use some sort of chobham armor, which is some kind of uranium alloy encased in ceramics.


Leopard 2 A5 KWSII > A2 Abrams imo

 

[All Else Failed]

Depleted uranium... I'll be damned if that was going to come to me without reading it.

Depleted uranium tipped RPGs have torn up Depleted uranium armored tanks.

I doubt your average insurance carrying a 20 year old, beat up RPG 7 is going to have that kind of round. Those would be very expensive.