How to Hide From Drones: Lessons Learned in Modern War

EDIT 24SEP2021 - Again, for some reason, this video from a year ago is now getting recommended by youtube's algorithms. It's strange to us as well, but just keep in mind that this video is one of our very first on Youtube, and that we have other videos that discuss aerial surveillance as well.

In this episode, we take a quick look at concealment methods that can be used to hide from SUAS platforms.

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References:

[davidcollins]

Remember there is no "universal" camouflage. Terrain matters as does time of year. Use of tarps can be improved by creating ragged, irregular edges. Reversible camo wear with 2 different patterns can be handy. Using natural materials means using grass in grasslands but get leaves once in woods. Very easy to forget. Lastly moving using terrain means never walk on ridge tops and avoiding open areas whenever possible. All those terms are actually important to remember and analyze with each element in mind: line/shape/color/value (dark-light)/texture/shine or light absorbancy/edges. You can be perfectly camouflaged but if your tracks are obvious you're done. Be aware of the trail you leave behind. One final tip: creating a false target by making obvious trails leading to a poorly camouflaged site showing some gear and dummy body can also draw attention away from you. Sorry to lecture but I assure everything listed is critical.

[robertlackey]

Your statement "Be harder to kill than the next guy" really was light bulb moment for me . Up until now I have had a attitude that you can't hide from the best technology, but now I am thinking that the harder you are to find the more closely "they" have to look and the less area you can cover in the same amount of time . So it does make sense to do something even if it's not perfect.

[joeylandry]

Having served in the army I can attest that most units will leave their camo netting packed up out of sheer laziness. The artillery unit I served with set the standard for putting up the camouflage nets within minutes of setting up, but we had to kick some butts to make sure it happened every time.

[briandanielsen]

Served for 22 years in the military; armor & mech infantry (72-94). Your discussions of threat and the critical use of camouflage jumped off the screen for me! Extremely relevant. Further, it provided a somewhat current sense of the state-of-the-art for surveillance in our communities in this worsening big brother environment. Be invisible. That was always true. More importantly, follow the laws of God.

[gooshy]

On civilian vehicles: I had the good fortune to observe the Jordanian Air Force camouflage all their shiny colorful fire trucks. They just pulled one truck off the road and created a huge mud hole. Troops got busy getting their trucks as filthy as possible. Clean a tiny spot for the driver to see, park it in the sun to dry and voila! Perfect color match to the terrain.
It worked extremely well.

[billcallahan]

Flew Cessna Skymasters in Angola. Enemy used large banana leaves to cover themselves from our FLIR. It worked.

[chrishoff]

I remember reading a German soldiers account of the Battle of Normandy, where the Allies had overwhelming air superiority. The Germans would remain under cover on clear days. In order to move they would have spotters radio in when there were no allied planes in the vicinity. Then they would quickly go from one covered position a short distance to the next. Repeat the same aircraft check via spotters, do the quick move to the next covered position. They could cover the same march three times as fast at night, 2/3's as fast when it rained because all weather capability wasn't a thing in WW2. For transporting fuel to the front they used what they referred to as a Scuttle Bug. Literally, a Volkswagen Beetle with the side doors removed. If an allied aircraft attacked them, rather than stop and get out, they dove out to the side ditch while the Bug kept rolling along getting strafed.

[beaujeste]

CO - ‘I didn’t see you at camouflage training this morning Smith!’
Grunt - ‘thank you very much Sir!’

[Sryofcrv]

I fly Drones for the Dod / Army in an OPFOR role. A visual sensor UAS is not super difficult to hide from, a low resolution thermal sensor is also not that difficult to hide from if you have adequate concealment (IE a tree top canopy that is holding heat from the sun, especially during the day, but even at night time, the canopy holds heat pretty well).. the issue is when you get into hiding from systems that have more advanced thermal signature capabilities, like a 640 resolution thermal sensor.. there's not a whole lot you can do to hide from these.. But you CAN evade them with the right environment and gear. Things like cold weather insulating clothing tends to help quite a bit against letting heat out, as well as the new thermal resistant poncho's that the Army is coming out with... Thermal reflective emergency blankets can work in a pinch provided that you don't leave them against your body for too long, your heat will eventually transfer over to it and cause you to show up as well. "tarping" a couple ponchos between trees and hiding behind them is a good way to avoid detection, or if you're in a Desert setting, laying down next to large rocks that have been absorbing the desert sun all day will make a huge difference in concealing your signature.

[apayne]

As a Vietnam/Cambodia combat vet, I've had great teachers. The NVA (North Vietnamese Army). They were excellent . One learned real quick what to look for, or one died. That simple.

[nomadicconquistador--]

As an American civilian without a military background, I find the information very interesting. Thank you

[GarrenForth]

It’s really sad to think that our likely enemy is our own government. Keep this stuff coming as long as you can.

[muaddib]

When 2nd Iraq war started, I told everyone that the technologies used in this war will be used against us in the next dacade.

[duke]

Good practical advice. After seeing a coordinated drone swarm at the opening ceremonies of one of the Winter Olympics. I saw the terrifying possibilities of small drone weapons. The fictional use in the movie “Angel has Fallen” felt very realistic.

[CheezyDee]

I find it interesting that there were several incidents of drones flying near commercial jets which mysteriously stopped when the FAA banned the use of drones within 5 miles an airport pretty much making all civilian drone use in NYC illegal, only for the NYPD to catch someone on a rooftop playing with an airsoft gun... with a drone.

[donteh]

Geoint guy who recently left the community for the private sector. Thank you. Was just having a decision on this and my customer couldn't grasp these basics

[leehrvyoswld]

It's funny you mention the "deployment" to Poland as an example of training to fight near-peers. I'm here right now and we did all the hooplah: the gunneries, the months in the field, the multinational combined arms exercises... And every scenario has been briefed with enemies somehow in possession of tanks and LAVs, but without nightvision or thermal capability.

And when I brought this up at the division AAR (why aren't we training in scenarios based on reality, so we can develop TTPs for EMCON, using proper camouflage, anti-thermal and anti-NOD techniques, etc.) and they shut me down, booed me for thinking.

The military, Army especially, is gonna learn these TTPs the hard way in the coming years unless "leaders" can pull their heads out their asses.

Thanks for existing. I use your videos and outlines to train my men to think beyond the doctrine and their limited experience and limited training opportunities.

[scout]

Great stuff. You did a good job of starting the conversation on Camo. I want to especially thank you for pointing out the tracks or wheel marks on the terrain. another easy way to find positions is that people run their vehicles to stay warm, which heats up the vegetation. Also, at night, one can follow the heat signature of wheels and/or tracks upon roads for several hours so selecting one’s night position well in advance of sundown is moi important.

[rayhannum]

One thing that wasn't mentioned. If you've had to use your weapon cover it quickly or that gun will show up quickly with a tell, tell white signature. So you may be in a ghille suit so pull your weapon under you or wrap it with no part exposed. Even when you can't see the drone it can be high up. Don't take a chance.

[kemonoyama]

2 aspects of camouflage are to disperse the image into the background or break up the outline and distort the image pattern. SF in Vietnam often wore mixed patterns and almost always different top and bottom patterns. The different pant to top automatically cuts your image pattern in half. In a uniforms the small pattern camouflage types always blend at a distance. the reason vintage woodland is so effective is because of its large pattern. The problem is we keep letting computers pick our patterns and we don't see like a computer, .