FLASH
India's First Stealth Technology Developed at IIT-Kanpur
Reviewed by Dr Rapaka Subash Chandra Bose
India's First Stealth Technology Developed at IIT-Kanpur
Launch of Anālakṣhya Metamaterial Surface Cloaking System at IIT-Kanpur | Photo: X, @IITKanpur
India's First Stealth Technology Developed at IIT-Kanpur Poised to Revolutionize Defense Capabilities
IIT Kanpur scientists have developed the Anālakṣhya Metamaterial Surface Cloaking System, India's first indigenous stealth program, marking a significant milestone in military technology. This cutting-edge improvement is intended to improve the operational capabilities of the Indian armed forces, giving it a strategic advantage and boosting national security.
Metamaterials are redefining stealth. The Analakṣhya system, a textile-based broadband metamaterial microwave absorber, was launched in November. It provides near-perfect wave absorption across a broad range. It marks a big step forward in combating Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery, a serious danger to military operations.
Air Vice Marshal Praveen Bhatt, Managing Director and CEO of Meta Tattva Systems Pvt. Ltd., the industry partner for this endeavor, emphasized the system's revolutionary design. "The Anālakṣhya Metamaterial Surface Cloaking System is a multi-spectral camouflage solution effective across visual, near-infrared, thermal infrared (IR), and radiofrequency spectrums," Bhatt explains. The breakthrough comes from the usage of metamaterials, which are designed to produce resonances that interact strongly with radiation. Bhatt addressed the difficulty of generating significant absorption over broadband frequencies in a thin enough layer to maintain microwave stealth. This is accomplished using emissivity control structures and sophisticated paints intended to resist thermal infrared imaging.
Strategic advantages for Indian defense
The Anālakṣhya system is set to transform stealth applications in the Indian defense sector. Experts believe it will evolve into a variety of useful items such as cloaks, asset coverings, and customized clothes. Lieutenant General Cherish Mathson (Retd.), previous General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, emphasized the significance of this discovery, particularly in addressing dangers posed by SAR imaging.
"In 2019, we classified SAR as one of the most significant dangers to military mobility. It's astonishing to think that IIT Kanpur has previously created the basis for this revolutionary technology," Mathson said.
A strategic leap for the future
The Anālakṣhya system demonstrates India's dedication to developing defense technologies and achieving self-reliance in essential military capabilities. As a pioneering invention in stealth technology, it gives the Indian armed services a powerful instrument for preserving strategic advantage in increasingly complicated battlefields. This effort also demonstrates the potential for academic-industry partnerships to improve national military infrastructure.
Source
Authored by Dr Srikanth Ponnada
Dr Srikanth Ponnada, PhD, MRSC
-CEO, Editor & Senior Scientific Content Author
Dr. Ponnada, is a senior researcher at VSB-Technical University-Ostrava; he previously worked as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Prof. Herring’s group, Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Colorado School of Mines-U.S.A, as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur-Rajasthan. His Ph.D. research focused on “Functional Materials and Their Electrochemical Applications in Batteries and Sensors.” His research area covers Functional Materials Synthesis, Polymer electrolyte membranes, Device fabrication, conversion devices (Fuel cells and Electrolyzers), Energy storage, Electrocatalysis, Electrochemical Sensors, Artificial Intelligence, and LLM (generative AI) in energy. He has also held research positions at CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute, where he worked on lead-free perovskite-based photovoltaics and electrocatalysis, and at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, where he contributed to research on gold nanoparticle-assisted heterogeneous catalysis and alcohol oxidation reactions. Also, he is an Early Career Member at the Electrochemical Society (ECS), a Member at AIChE and a Life Member at the Indian Carbon Society (ICS), also an astronomy and astrophotography enthusiast.
