US Marine Corps pursues thermal cloaks to hide troops from heat sensors

2 days ago

The U.S. Marine Corps is seeking advanced camouflage cloaks (Multispectral Camouflage Overgarment, MCO) to protect Marines from detection by visual, infrared, and thermal sensors.
The MCO aims to mitigate detection across multiple spectrums (VIS, NIR, SWIR, MWIR, LWIR) and reduce thermal signatures to avoid detection by drones and other sensors.
The Marines plan to acquire 13,000 cloaks by 2027 and 61,000 by 2030, intended for training and deployment, not routine garrison wear.
The cloaks must meet specific nondetection thresholds based on sensor type and distance, such as 600 meters for ground-based daytime visual detection and 5,000 meters for aerial MWIR sensors.
The MCO is designed as a single-piece, draped garment providing full-body coverage, including gear, and should be donned/doffed within 15 seconds. It must last 90 days to a year, withstand 50 launderings, and weigh ≤3.5 lbs (ideally <2 lbs).
Other militaries, like Britain’s Royal Marines and Russian troops, use similar cloaks, but poor-quality designs have sometimes made wearers more visible to thermal sensors.
The deadline for submissions is April 22.

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