South Korean Stealth Paint Reduces Radar Signatures

30/10/2013 by Paul Fiddian - Armed Forces International's Lead Reporter

South Korean military scientists have developed a stealthy paint capable of absorbing radar signals.

Produced by the Stealth Technology Center at South Korea's Maritime and Ocean University, the paint could act to protect combat aircraft, armoured vehicles and naval vessels alike.

The product debuted at the most recent Marine Week event held in Busan, South Korea, between 22-25 October 2013. First staged in 1980, South Korea's International Shipbuilding, Marine Equipment and Defence Exhibition is primarily a trade event but, on the final day, members of the public are admitted. Some 50,000 people attended the 2011 edition, which also attracted exhibitors from 12 nations.

South Korean Stealth Paint

The South Korean stealth paint was just one of numerous new military technologies on show this year.

As per comments made to South Korean news agency Yonhap by former Republic of Korea Navy captain Kim Yong-hwan - now the Stealth Technology Center's director - the spray-on stealth paint offers several advantages over traditional electromagnetic wave absorption systems. These include reduced weight and increased durability.

"This paint greatly decreases warships' visibility on radars to help raise their survivability from missile attacks", Stealth Technology Center vice president, Hwang Young-woo, told Yonhap. "It is easy to apply evenly to any surface as it is a spray, saving considerable time compared to other sheets or tiles. Plus, it's much cheaper than the normal paint."

Reduced Radar Signatures

Reduced radar signature techniques are these days in widespread military use.

Stealth technology, now widely-deployed, acts to reduced radar cross-section profiles significantly. The United States is a key stealth technology exponent, as shown in the Northrop B-2 Spirit, F-117A Nighthawk and F-22 Raptor designs.

Stealth also features heavily in the US Navy's brand-new DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class ships while, elsewhere, China is among the other nations now integrating stealth elements into its latest military designs. "As other advanced countries are developing stealth jets and anti-stealth radars, South Korea should speed up developing technology to counter potential threats in future warfare", Hwang concluded.