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Photo-direct vehicle camouflage matches battlefield

Precut "wrap" of adhesive vinyl called Photo Veil incorporates images from drones, satellites, and other sources to help vehicles blend in just about anywhere.

Mark Rutherford
The military establishment's ever increasing reliance on technology and whiz-bang gadgetry impacts us as consumers, investors, taxpayers and ultimately as the defended. Our mission here is to bring some of these products and concepts to your attention based on carefully selected criteria such as importance to national security, originality, collateral damage to the treasury and adaptability to yard maintenance-but not necessarily in that order. E-mail him at markr@milapp.com. Disclosure.
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Mark Rutherford
Military Wraps

While military camouflage patterns for vehicles have evolved, the application process has been stuck in the spray booth. Now, however, GI equivalents of Earl Scheib can apply a precut "wrap" of adhesive vinyl that will blend in on virtually any battlefield.

The process is similar to the advertising and decorative wraps commonly seen on cars and buses, except that this product from Military Wraps, called Photo Veil, is lightweight and incorporates images from cameras on drones, satellites, or lidar in the field and loops them back to be applied to vehicles or equipment as site-specific, high-resolution camouflage.

It combines "megapixel digital images, state-of-the-art inking systems and revolutionary lightweight and waterproof mesh material to duplicate precisely any operational environment," be it mountain, desert, jungle, forest, or urban terrain, according to Military Wraps.

The mesh material also has the advantage of being breathable, which means it can be used for suits and blinds employed by snipers, spotters, and other forward-area types. Photo Veil is being incorporated into Ghillie suits and blinds, according to the Lumberton, N.C.-based company.

What else? The company claims that the material mitigates thermal and infrared footprints, and is portable, waterproof, foldable, customizable for one-way visibility, and scalable to accommodate any size from an individual soldier to an entire unit. Yowza--maybe we can win in Afghanistan.