Dr. Jill Harland (Left) and Michael Smith (Right) brief leaders during a recent live field demonstration on the development and functionality of the Millimeter Wave Screening Obscuration Module (SOM) and potential for integration with other technologies.

Dr. Jill Harland (left) describes the impact of the Millimeter Wave SOM on radars to spectators at a recent live field demonstration. Keaton Fitzgerald (right), an intern working with the Center’s Smoke and Target Defeat Branch, observes the demonstration.

The Millimeter Wave SOM deploys thousands of carbon fibers into the air to suppress radar capabilities.

As modern battlefield threats and imaging technologies grow increasingly sophisticated, the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC) is accelerating efforts to protect warfighters through next-generation sensor-defeat capabilities.

In August, stakeholders observed live-field demonstrations of the new Millimeter Wave Screening Obscuration Module (SOM). The Millimeter Wave SOM is a breakthrough concealment capability designed to disrupt enemy radar tracking through screening clouds containing coated fiber materials produced through a portable device. Following the successful technical validation, DEVCOM CBC officially transitioned the system to the Portfolio Management Executive for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (PME CBRND), marking a crucial milestone in turning cutting-edge research into a deployable capability for the Joint Force.

For decades, battlefield obscurants were built to deceive the human eye. Legacy smoke generation systems developed during the Cold War—such as the vehicle-mounted M56 Coyote and M58 Wolf—were engineered primarily to disrupt visual observation, optical rangefinders, and early infrared sensors. While these obscuration methods mask troops and tactical movements from conventional optics, modern adversaries increasingly rely on advanced millimeter-wave radar technologies to pinpoint targets, limiting the protective impact of these smoke generation systems.

Bridging that protection gap required DEVCOM CBC scientists to rethink obscurants from the wavelength up. "Different sensors are designed to operate across distinct regions of the electromagnetic spectrum," said Dr. Jill Harland, a research scientist at DEVCOM CBC. "You have visible sensors, which operate on very narrow, microscopic wavelengths of light. As you move across the spectrum into infrared and thermal imaging, those wavelengths expand. Once you reach millimeter waves, you enter the radar spectrum—frequencies that pass straight through conventional smoke screens undetected by the naked eye."

Michael Smith, a mechanical engineer at DEVCOM CBC, explained that everything has a unique distinct signature or numerical value to the radar and those values allow the radar to detect and identify objects.

“Several targets or signatures were set up, and we had to obscure those targets,” Smith noted. “We used radar to observe the cloud formation and show the degradation of the radar signatures of each of those targets. As the cloud formed, the signature dropped and we got our obscuration that way."

When dispersed, the 30 pounds of fibers act like thousands of shields floating in the air. During the August field demonstrations, researchers put the module through rigorous open-air testing to measure how rapidly the cloud could deploy and how effectively it could suppress active radar tracking in real time. “Watching the radar screens during the live dissemination was a defining moment for the entire development team,” Smith said. "Our objective is to buy Soldiers critical time on the battlefield, improving survivability directly accomplishes our core mission."

“We have an incredible team,” Harland said. “We have everything from chemical engineers, aerospace engineers, mechanical engineers, physicists and chemists. We all came together to provide a solution and to build something from the ground up.”

Dr. Danielle Kuhn, Branch Chief for the Smoke & Target Defeat Branch at DEVCOM CBC, emphasized the value of cross-functional collaboration: “Watching these distinct teams communicate their expertise toward a singular mission has been incredible, this mission really showcased the talent we have here at the Center.”

With technical evaluations complete, the Millimeter Wave (SOM) will transition to PME CBRND for further testing before it’s in warfighters’ hands.