Chapter 126: The First Hurdle Of Compositing!
The Political Instructor, as a political officer, doesn’t understand military affairs much, and knows even less about military equipment, so he can’t quite comprehend shrinking it from thirty minutes to three minutes.
So the main emotion is skepticism.
Gao Cheng, as the company’s military chief officer, is still knowledgeable about our army’s anti-infrared thermal imaging technology.
From platoon leader to company commander, he has always stayed in Steel Seventh Company; he knows better than anyone how complex Steel Seventh Company’s anti-infrared thermal imaging training is, the entire operations process.
Completing the task in half an hour also requires good conditions, needing to find small woods or soft soil layers nearby.
If switched to vast and flat grassland where no plants taller than waist height can be found around, it might not even be doable in an hour.
The reason it takes so much time is that in the 1990s, our army’s equipment was still very backward.
Infrared thermal imaging technology that relies on thermal radiation for reconnaissance is equivalent to having x-ray vision; in these times, it’s advanced technology, and domestically there is no widespread anti-detection equipment yet.
There must definitely be ways to counter infrared thermal imaging technology, but they are limited by cost or inconvenient materials, etc.
Facing an army of over a million, it’s impossible to implement across the board.
Steel Seventh Company’s current anti-infrared thermal imaging training basically relies on digging holes and cutting tree branches to cover, then topping with a layer of camouflage cloth camouflage net to finish.
This kind of defensive camouflage effect is very poor,
even though the infrared thermal imaging technology of the late 1990s wasn’t as advanced as the 21st century.
But as long as there is no dense forest for isolation, the car engine won’t cool to normal temperature in one or two hours without watering the exhaust pipe to cool down; under infrared thermal imaging irradiation, the hiding effect is very poor, can only be said to be better than nothing.
Xu Sanduo carrying just two eggs in his pocket could be easily detected is ironclad proof.
Boiled eggs transported from the cookhouse, plus the time for breakfast distribution and putting in the pocket, at most left at 40 or 50 degrees.
After laboriously doing half a day’s anti-infrared thermal imaging camouflage, even this 40 or 50 degrees couldn’t be blocked.
Could an armored vehicle still be hidden??
Anyone who has driven a car knows clearly that even if the car is parked there for half an hour, the engine and exhaust pipe temperature is at least over 100 degrees.
Camouflage that can’t even block eggs, its actual combat effect is probably just fooling oneself.
And scouts, as the branch of service on the tip of the knife, are most likely to be scanned and searched by the enemy with various technologies, so they most need equipment to evade infrared thermal imaging reconnaissance.
So before the second stage unfolds, Chen Jun’s first thing is to solve this major problem.
Facing the company commander and Political Instructor’s doubts, Chen Jun started explaining from the basics: “Company Commander, Political Instructor, I speak bluntly, don’t mind; our Steel Seventh Company’s existing anti-infrared thermal imaging technology is too poor.
Not only is it extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive to execute, but the actual camouflage effect is also very poor.
During anti-infrared thermal imaging exercises, the warriors don’t even dare to open their mouths to breathe, and even have to unbutton their clothes in advance to dissipate heat and cool down as much as possible.
Not to mention having to find places months in advance, dig holes in advance to hide armored vehicles and warriors, etc.; altogether it can wear a person out.
And often the final anti-infrared thermal imaging exercise result may not even achieve the ideal effect.
To change this terrible situation, I considered it entirely for a whole month some time ago, and finally decided to upgrade and replace from the principle.
By making a kind of anti-infrared thermal imaging camouflage cloth, which can be opened and covered when needed to take effect, replacing the original complex operations process.”
Chen Jun had checked Steel Seventh Company’s company log, and what he said were all factual and well-grounded.
Gao Cheng and Hong Xingguo both furrowed their brows; anti-infrared thermal imaging exercises are done once a year, and each time they really exhaust the entire company half to death.
Each time doing the exercise, Gao Cheng curses and swears, and his mood becomes very bad.
Thinking that if it really could solve anti-infrared thermal imaging, shortening what originally took one or two months back and forth, and might not even be done well,
to just a few days of preparation, and deployment operations just a few minutes.
Gao Cheng was really attracted and his heart pounded.
He asked expectantly and curiously: “Platoon Leader Chen, the anti-infrared thermal imaging camouflage cloth you mentioned, just a piece of cloth, can it really achieve complete evasion of infrared thermal imaging detection?”
“I’m very curious about its principle; how is it achieved?” Hong Xingguo followed up.
“The principle of infrared thermal imaging detection is very simple: it’s achieved by detecting the thermal radiation emitted by objects; as long as thermal radiation can be isolated, ‘invisibility’ is achieved.”
Chen Jun first explained the principle, then began introducing the product: “Targeting the principle of infrared thermal imaging detection, I designed this camouflage cloth.
The tin foil, aluminum foil coating, PET plastic film and other materials I procured all have very good heat insulation effects.
As long as they are reasonably overlapped and bonded with glue to make multi-layer composite material, it can achieve complete isolation of thermal radiation in a short time, turning the x-ray vision infrared thermal imaging detection into blindness.”
Chen Jun’s explanation was very thorough; Gao Cheng and Hong Xingguo both understood.
And a doubt arose!
“The principle you mentioned is indeed very simple, and the materials you bought aren’t complex; I’m very curious, didn’t our military research institute think of it?” Gao Cheng wondered.
“Such a cheap camouflage cloth is indeed worth promoting throughout the army,” Hong Xingguo also said.
“The reason such an affordable camouflage cloth hasn’t been promoted throughout the army, in my personal view, there should be two reasons.”
Chen Jun held up two fingers, then smiled: “First, design and invention are very magical; it never lies in the materials being simple or cheap, but in whether one can think of it.
Just like the light bulb structure is very simple; now anyone can think of it, but put more than a hundred years ago, only Edison thought of it.
Perhaps now only I have thought of it, and no second person has yet?
Second, the camouflage cloth I developed has a very fatal flaw.
That is, its service life is extremely short, not calculated by years or months, but by uses; the estimated best effect is within ten times.
And products developed by the army all have a characteristic: they must be durable.
Therefore, even if someone in a military factory or research institute thought of making camouflage cloth this way, they wouldn’t actually develop it, because it doesn’t meet the basic durability standard.”
Military quality, no matter in which country, represents absolute quality assurance.
A product with a service life of only a few uses, and almost no practical effect in non-war situations, really isn’t a good choice.
But then again.
If Chen Jun’s designed camouflage cloth is classified as a consumable like bandages, with this shift in thinking, the result is completely different.
A cheap and practical anti-infrared thermal imaging camouflage cloth really would become an army “essential.”
If it were really adopted by some military factory and finally approved for use throughout the army, then Chen Jun as the designer of the camouflage cloth.
The military medal on his left chest would probably get another one.
Of course.
Now this is just imagination and outlook; as for whether it can really be realized in the future, that’s a matter for later; now the main thing is to hurry and make it.
After hearing Chen Jun’s explanation, Gao Cheng and Hong Xingguo both felt it really might be the case.
At the same time, they gave high praise to Chen Jun for thinking of this idea and researching out the camouflage cloth, recognizing Chen Jun’s wisdom and boldness.
However.
Recognition is one thing, execution is another.
Without any specific experiments, without any data or proof, no one knows if the camouflage cloth really works.
After all, how effective the camouflage cloth is, up to now, is just what Chen Jun says.
Although Gao Cheng fully trusts Chen Jun, upholding the army’s attitude that things must be done seriously, he still couldn’t help but doubt the camouflage cloth for the time being.
He decided to prepare on two fronts.
First, let Chen Jun take people to make the camouflage cloth, and find the quartermaster for any needs anytime.
Gao Cheng himself prepared to go to the regiment, to get a thermal imager scanning equipment back, and use the equipment to actually verify the authenticity of the camouflage cloth.
Whether it’s a donkey or a horse, trot it out and see.
Although the new generation of armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles are equipped with infrared thermal imaging periscopes, their power is too low.
Unable to effectively test if the camouflage cloth can defend against infrared thermal imaging reconnaissance from helicopters.
Dedicated infrared thermal imaging scanning equipment is more reliable.
Although in his previous life Chen Jun had already verified that this simplified version camouflage cloth he designed, despite being cheap, had very good anti-infrared thermal imaging effects.
But that was a previous life matter, can’t be used as basis for this life.
Since Gao Cheng can get the infrared thermal imaging scanning equipment, let him figure out how to get it back; then shine it on the camouflage cloth, and see if it works at a glance.
After Gao Cheng made the decision, everyone split to take action.
Chen Jun returned to the company to notify the duty officer, had him blow the whistle for company assembly, relayed the company commander’s order, and led the entire company to start making camouflage cloth.
The making method is very simple, no need for prior training or anything.
Distribute the materials to each squad’s hands, then Chen Jun demonstrates on stage once, and the warriors in each squad basically learn how to do it.
Total just a few steps.
Between two layers of PET plastic film, sandwich a layer of tin foil with excellent insulation and heat isolation effect, brush glue between the three layers of materials to bond.
Then on the outer side of the made three-layer composite material, mix paint to coat jungle camouflage, to cover the silver color of the main middle layer tin foil.
To prevent exposure of the target due to silver reflection under lights or sunlight.
Then cover the outermost layer with the original company-used camouflage net with jungle camouflage cloth strips; in actual use, even find some tree branches to cover.
Multiple camouflage layers stacked, physical camouflage maxed out.
On the inner layer PET plastic film, brush a layer of aluminum foil coating with good heat insulation effect.
Make the inner layer of the camouflage cloth shiny silver, further acting to insulate heat and reflect thermal radiation, making the anti-infrared thermal imaging detection effect stronger.
And for convenient carrying and deployment in use, Chen Jun designed the camouflage cloth in two styles—
for people and for vehicles!
The camouflage cloth for warriors is very convenient to make, just one large piece.
In anti-infrared thermal imaging operations, dig a trench on the ground, cover the anti-infrared thermal imaging camouflage cloth over it, keeping distance between it and the camouflage cloth, equivalent to using air for another layer of isolation.
It can maximize the heat insulation effect, and maintain the insulation time longer.
If time is tight and no time to dig trench, directly cover over the entire squad’s warriors also works.
Just the effect is relatively worse.
Whether tin foil or aluminum foil coating, they only have certain heat insulation effects, and absorb heat themselves; covering on a heat-emitting object, the temperature will slowly rise over time.
If there is space between tin foil and heat source, air can play a good dissipating role.
The slower the camouflage heats up, the longer the effect lasts.
While the camouflage cloth for armored vehicles is relatively much more complex.
Mainly because the armored vehicle’s volume is too large, plus it’s a three-dimensional structure; making the camouflage cloth one whole piece makes it heavy and bulky, inconvenient to operate.
So cut the whole cloth into five pieces: front, back, left, right, and top.
Each piece’s edges are stuck with Velcro.
When needed, like assembling a puzzle, the entire squad operates together, piecing each camouflage cloth on, connecting points stuck with Velcro.
Also able to complete coverage of the armored vehicle in two or three minutes.
The production process is simple and easy to learn, but the workload is large; the nine squads of the entire company plus the command post’s camouflage cloth, total making took two days.
Gao Cheng also successfully got a thermal imager in these two days.
As for Xu Sanduo, who with great difficulty got Gao Cheng to agree to stay in Steel Seventh Company, during this time he stayed in the cookhouse every day on duty.
Definitely can’t fry vegetables or cook, but washing vegetables, peeling potatoes, and tending the fire he does flying fast.
Shi Jin runs to the cookhouse whenever he has time, fulfilling his promise to Old Master Xu, giving Xu Sanduo overtime learning, striving to make him a good soldier.
Xu Sanduo’s life is very fulfilling, and this is also the effect Chen Jun wanted to achieve.
Xu Sanduo assigned to cookhouse duty is equivalent to having a buffer time, no need to rush to become a good soldier in these few months, and won’t affect the company’s exercise.
After completing the synthesized confrontation military exercise, there will be plenty of time later to slowly cultivate Xu Sanduo.
Third day.
The warriors who had labored hard for two days, early in the morning excitedly followed Gao Cheng to the outdoor training ground to verify the labor achievements.
Since formal training hasn’t started yet, also not pursuing the three-minute standard.
Just according to Chen Jun’s requirements and methods, each squad of the entire company deploys their respective anti-infrared operations, until all complete according to standard.
The first time the warriors weren’t very familiar, still needing Chen Jun to direct busily back and forth.
Took more than ten minutes front and back to finish.
“Report Company Commander, the entire company’s anti-infrared camouflage operations are complete; please inspect.”
After Chen Jun directed Steel Seventh Company’s camouflage work and confirmed no issues, only then did he trot to Gao Cheng according to procedure to report.
“Busy back and forth for so many days, hope my demon-reflecting mirror fails here with you.”
Gao Cheng looking at Steel Seventh Company that “disappeared” before his eyes, because he knew the huge improvement camouflage couldn’t bring, actually felt a bit nervous in his heart.
