Army tests James Bond style tank that is 'invisible'

[EvilRB]

Army tests James Bond style tank that is 'invisible'
Last updated at 11:56am on 30th October 2007

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/10_04/DisappearTankLL_468x182.jpg

Comments Comments (8)
New technology that can make tanks invisible has been unveiled by the Ministry of Defence.

In secret trials last week, the Army said it had made a vehicle completely disappear and predicted that an invisible tank would be ready for service by 2012.

The new technology uses cameras and projectors to beam images of the surrounding landscape onto a tank.

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Now you see it: How the tank might look with background images beamed onto the side

The result is that anyone looking in the direction of the vehicle only sees what is beyond it and not the tank itself.

A soldier, who was at the trials, said: "This technology is incredible. 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."

Breakthrough: The MoD's 'Q', Professor Sir John Pendry

How the technology works in a combat situation is very sensitive, but the MoD is believed to be testing a military jacket that works on the same principles.

It is the type of innovation normally associated with James Bond, and the brains behind the latest technology is the MoD's very own "Q" - Professor Sir John Pendry, of Imperial College London.

He said the only drawback was the reliability of the cameras and projectors.

But he added: "The next stage is to make the tank invisible without them - which is intricate and complicated, but possible."

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=490669&in_page_id=1811

Don't know if this was a repost but I couldn't believe if this is actually true??

If so thats bad ass!!

[fliprayzin240sx]

Damn theyre talking about invisible jackets...first thing that popped in my head was Halo 3 and me meleeing somebody in the back of the head...

[shmiddy]

i think its bull but who knows now-a days

[B18C5MK1]

i think its bs. pic looks like photoshop... and a really bad photoshop job at that.

where are the cameras and projectors supposed to be? on the tank? or on other tanks following the tank?

instead of trying to invent invisible tanks, the should try to invent silent jets. that'd be cooler. imo. then put the invisible camera's and projectors on them.

[exitspeed]

Invisible suits are next!

[mRclARK1]

In any case, if it is true, I HIGHLY doubt it would make it entirely invisible, probably just very hard to see. That pic does looked a little photochopped to me as well

[DragonUSMC]

invisable jackets? great now all the preverts will be hanging out in the little girls and boys bathrooms...

[mRclARK1]

invisable jackets? great now all the preverts will be hanging out in the little girls and boys bathrooms...

Great... now we can make rapists and perverts invisible. :eek3:

[exitspeed]

invisable jackets? great now all the preverts will be hanging out in the little girls and boys bathrooms...

Why you gotta rain on my parade? I'm talking about sneaking in to strip clubs, etc. :)

[OptionZero]

That defeats the whole purpose of a tank: to scare the living shit out of whatever poor sucker ur attacking with the sight of all that metal rolling down at you

[LimitedEdition]

I dont think its a real picture. Did you read the commentary? It says how it MIGHT look.

[shmiddy]

Why you gotta rain on my parade? I'm talking about sneaking in to strip clubs, etc. :)

your 28 why would you need to sneek into strip clubs? lol

[azndummie]

haha kinda reminds me of the batmobile in batman begins, that shit is dope

[Touge_Monster]

I saw something on this on that secret weapons show. They are developing it but you can tell that is a photoshop

[Yuri]

I don't see invisible jackets being too far off, considering Sony and other companies are working on fabric-like flatscreens that can be rolled up or crumpled.

[nevaland9]

dibs on the 1st invisible prostitute.
haha the 3sum your girlfriend never let you have, and will never find out about.

[jackjack]

damn.......i like

[azndoc]

Damnn......

Invisible jacket.

Why didn't they come out with this shit when I was in high school.

Sneaking into the girls locker room would've been a lot more fun.

[B Love]

Damn Im so down for an invisible anything

[614duece40]

i give it 50 years before we control the world with all this technology haha.

[FaLKoN240]

Aren't tanks LOUD?

[B18C5MK1]

Damn Im so down for an invisible anything

yeah. im getting kinda hungry.
http://www.saynotocrack.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/sandwich.jpg

[revat619]

chances are they've already beem using this stuff in test facilities for A WHILE. Technology used by the military and the time before its common place and made known to the public is about 20 years. One of the older guys at my church used to be in some weapons engineering thing for the military. I forget what his exact rank was, but he was telling me how they were extensively using laser technology in the 70s and its only been in the last 10 to 15 years that we've seen lasers used in everyday life. Ex - dvd, cd, medical, etc.

If this was really brand new, we wouldnt know about it.

Regardless, its still pretty frickin cool!

[sl4ck3r]

i imagine from distances it could appear to be completely invisible... but from up close i doubt it.... mainly because you can really get rid of a shadow. So just detect them using their shadow. the invisible jackets have been prototyping for years..... i heard about them a couple of years ago... theres only a few questions i have about them that doesn't make sense... what if the soldier lays down? when laying down youd get no light into the camera so wouldn't it just appear black?

[SochBAT]

those JDM guys have something similar.

It was used on the same principle as this, cameras and projectors.

Youtube it. Its pretty weak, but cool.

Personally, i think i'd rather disguise my tank as commonplace things, case in point, as a mound of grass before making it invisible.

Best Camouflage Ever = http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/10/20/world/20crime_slide01.jpg

[Jung918]

^ I just read that article and it was so stupid I laughed.

They might be able to make it invisible to the eye, but what about thermal imaging?

[HalveBlue]

This stuff has been in the works for years.

I remember hearing a story about a General that saw the movie Predator and insisted that the technology be invented for his troops to use.

Besides, as several others have already pointed out, what about the thermal footprint, or shadows?

On top of that, I have hard time believing that all that equipment will hold up in the field.

A tank is already maintenance heavy. I wouldn't even want to imagine how much more maintenance it would require with all those fancy additional electronics.

[SexPanda]

I think that they should forget the tanks, and try to make our troops invisible. I mean, its a tank. Its loud, its heavily armored...

Unlike the troops... At least the heavily armored part more or less.

[agame001]

haha! yeah they're loud and produce heat. however, there won't be anymore heat and clunky noise when the "reverse Casimir force" is implemented! damn this is really exciting. think about it: no friction= no release of energy= no noise energy and no thermal energy.

[supad0rk]

I think it's just the technology that they are after, if they are able to camouflage a tank they can probably start moving things foreward from there and find a good use. Not all countries have thermal imaging but I am sure they can tell when there are tank tracks on the ground... and no tanks to be seen.

I think there has also been tests of the "shield" which was something that mapped out grids around humvees or tanks and fired off ball bearings or something at incoming RPGs. Also if i remember they put a rail gun on a carrier or something. It's always better to have the technology and find ways to put them to use... because we all watch movies... aliens can come at any time. If they come now we shall get pwned.