A radar-absorbing paint developed by the Korea Maritime and Ocean University’s Stealth Technology Center could provide camouflage of surface naval vessels, military aircraft and combat vehicles Yonhap News reports. The new ‘stealth paint’ was unveiled by the university laboratory during the Navy Week event held in the southeastern port city of Busan last week. Addressing the South Korean military interest on the development of radar-evading and anti-stealth technology as part of its long-term defense strategy, the center has been developing various types of paints to meet different requirements for the Navy and Air Force, and is consulting with local defense contractors.
According to Korean Navy captain (ret) Kim Yong-hwan, vice president and director of the Stealth Technology Center, the radar-absorbing material can be sprayed on the surface of the protected platform, providing a lighter, durable and cheaper application, compared to contemporary tile or metal sheet-type electromagnetic wave absorbers. “This paint greatly decreases warships’ visibility on radars to help raise their survivability from missile attacks,” Yong-hwan said, showing an iron sheet coated with the paint that absorbs up to 99 percent of radar waves.
The new material is expected to first be applied in naval weapons systems, following successful certification in 11 categories by the Korea Testing & Research Institute. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering is among the companies that are eyeing the material for their latest Navy destroyers under development. “It is easy to apply evenly to any surface as it is a spray, saving considerable time compared to other sheets or tiles,” Hwang said. “Plus, it’s much cheaper than the normal paint.”
