Source | FibreCoat

FibreCoat GmbH (Aachen, Germany) announces the development of a fiber-reinforced composite material capable of making aircraft, tanks and spacecraft invisible to radar. Notably, the technology can be used in all of the ways FibreCoat’s existing materials can be used — not just for military stealth, but to cover batteries and protect drivers in electric vehicles, reduce interference and cross-talk for aircraft and spacecraft, for construction applications and so on — providing manufacturers more design freedom. 

According to the company, the composite, still at the proof-of-concept stage, goes beyond traditional radar-shielding technology. Where existing solutions rely on reflecting radar waves, FibreCoat’s thin and flexible radar-absorbing material (RAM) absorbs them. It uses bicomponent multifilament yarn dispersed in composites and is made from carefully engineered blends of PMMA, carbon nanotubes and Alucoat fillers. These are tuned for precise thicknesses (ranging from 0.5-6 millimeters) and for key radar frequency bands such as the X-band (8-12 gigahertz).

The RAM has achieved reflection losses of up to -40 decibels, equivalent to 99.99% radar absorption. In addition, unlike many RAM solutions that degrade at angle, FibreCoat’s multilayer composites are reported to maintain performance across curved surfaces and slanted radar exposure. In testing, they have achieved ≥ -10 decibel reflection loss up to 60 degrees in Transverse Electric (TE) mode and up to 45 degrees in Transverse Magnetic (TM) mode.

Moreover, where current technologies typically require thick plating or specialized paints, and are narrowband (targeting only a single radar frequency), FibreCoat’s solution is lightweight, flexible and broadband: absorbing radar across a wide spectrum of frequencies and outperforming existing materials by up to 100 times.

The fiber-reinforced composite, a type of “meta-material,” is soon to be commercially available. The company has completed successful laboratory tests and measurements, and expects field testing to be complete this year. FibreCoat may offer the fiber to partners for integration into final products.

“Absorption opens up a range of new possibilities,” says Dr Robert Brüll, CEO of FibreCoat. “We expect this fiber-reinforced composite to give the space, defense and automotive sectors more design freedom.”

FibreCoat, founded in Germany in 2020 but developing its materials since 2014, is known for inventing a novel technology to coat metals and plastics onto fibers via a fiber spinning process. FibreCoat’s range of products offer strength, conductivity, shielding and recyclability. The company now employs 42 members of staff and has three production sites: Aachen, Germany; Rustavi, Georgia; and Gorlice, Poland.