Active camouflage
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- "One of those things is inside, and it is invisible!'"
- — Cadet Thomas Lasky[1]
Active camouflage, often shortened as active camo or av-cam,[2] refers to a broad range of optical camouflage technologies that conceal its user or an object from visual perception by rapidly adapting to its surroundings.[3][4] Although active camouflage originated from the Covenant—also inherited and adopted by its remnants—similar technology was employed by the United Nations Space Command, with personal active camouflage being directly reverse-engineered from its Covenant counterpart.[3]
Overview[edit]
- "Trust me, because I heard... uhhh... from a friend, that if you have active camouflage on and do a cries, it makes a big sizzle sound and everybody can see me hidin' in the corner."
- — Dimkee Hotay shares his bad experience with active camo.[5]
Covenant active camouflage conceals by bending and refracting light around the surface of the camouflaged object,[2][4][6][7][8] masking its presence through advanced pattern realignment.[9] The camouflage effect only reduces chances of visual detection; those using active camouflage can be observed by other means, including the motion tracker,[2] noise,[1][5] and environmental disturbances such as dust or footprints on soft terrain.[10][11]
In addition to having reverse-engineered the Covenant active camouflage, the UNSC has developed several pieces of adjacent technology. One notable form of human-developed active camouflage operates on a different principle than the Covenant counterpart, using photoreactive panels to impersonate the surrounding environment like a chameleon. The UNSC uses photoreactive panels on its Semi-Powered Infiltration armor for optical camouflage, adapting to the object's background to account for movement.[12] They conceal the wearer's infrared signature and to blend in with the surrounding environment.[13] When combined with a Spartan-III's natural talent and training for stealth, it can be a very effective tool.[14]
Development history[edit]
- Silent Shadow operative: "If we were to meet in battle as warriors—true warriors, you would fall, just as so many of your kind have fallen—to our swords and fire; under the weight of our boots. But you—you are not warriors. You are assassins. Weak and timid, you hide in the shadows—"
- Jonah-B283: "Says the alien shit-heel who invented active camo."
- — A Silent Shadow Sangheili and Jonah-B283 during the Battle of Rangiren.[2]
Even before they pooled their knowledge of sensor masking and optical camouflage techniques with the establishment of the Writ of Union in 852 BCE, the Sangheili and the San'Shyuum experimented with various active camouflage systems. Modern active camouflage devices incorporated some reverse-engineered Forerunner technology, with Covenant devices utilizing a distinct branch of "baffler" systems from the Forerunners.[7][15] Whereas the Covenan't conventional active camouflage technology was reverse-engineered from Forerunner technology by the Huragok, the Jiralhanae developed the Cloaking module which similarly conceal its user by bending light rays around their position.[16][17]
Acquired early on during the Human-Covenant War,[9] the T-3 Refraction Dissonance Modifier/Camouflage module was deemed an essential piece of Covenant technology; thus, it was extensively researched by the Office of Naval Intelligence.[7] Although it was officially reported that all UNSC efforts to prototype a working active camouflage unit had been met with failure,[2] ONI's research eventually produced multiple reverse-engineered modules,[2][3][18][19] which were compatible with particular armor and BDU types.[7] Efforts at ONI Ilex Facility also resulted in the creation of the Multifunctional Emitter Prototype, a large device that could emit a field projecting the effects of active camouflage, as well as those of the overshield.[20][21]
Usage[edit]
Personal active camouflage[edit]
- "Show yourselves, assassins! The scent of your cloak is faint, but it still fouls the air."
- — Atriox smelling active camouflage.[22]
In the Covenant military, although personal active camouflage was a default component of Sangheili harness,[3] it was most commonly used by members of the Covenant Special Operations (including both Special Operations Unggoy and Sangheili SpecOps Officers),[23] Stealth Sangheili,[24] and zealots.[7][25][26] The infiltration harness employed by Special Operations Officers are embedded with active camouflage.[27] Arbiter Thel 'Vadamee's body armor was equipped with an older version of active camouflage, which has a limited duration compared to the newer version used by SpecOps troops.[23] Covenant remnants have largely inherited the same pattern of usage among its troops;[25] in the Banished, Sangheili under special operations and the Evocati order,[28] as well as Warlords, often employ active camouflage in combat.[29]
SPARTAN-III Headhunters had access to a prototype active camouflage unit that was almost identical to the Covenant version, rendering the operator's SPI armor almost invisible, except that it only lasted three-to-four minutes and other systems have their power drained while it recharged. Produced by the Beta-5 Division, this experimental version of the active camouflage had its existence kept as a secret.[2] By 2552, the UNSC has developed an active camouflage unit as one of many enhancement modules on the MJOLNIR Mark V armor, similar to those carried by Covenant Sangheili and Jiralhanae.[18] However, its effect quickly dissipates with excessive motion or when taking weapons fire; thus, users integrated its usage alongside traditional stealth tactics rather than in lieu of them.[3] Despite being a private military contractor, James Solomon was still able to take advantage of the Mark V's connections to active camouflage modules in combat in 2559.[8]
In contrast to the MJOLNIR Mark V armor which used an armor enhancement module manufactured by UNSC, the MJOLNIR [GEN2] armor system was capable of incorporating Covenant T-3 active camouflage modules into its system.[25] While it has seen extensive use among Spartans of all classes,[9] Spartans assigned to the "Disruptive" tactical roles under Spartan Operations undergo additional training exercises to learn to effectively use active camouflage to ambush enemies.[30] The UNSC counterpart in 2553 was considerably bulkier, being a large vertical container with a glowing green vertical panel,[19] though by 2559, the UNSC module has drastically reduced in size into a palm-sized circular device.[31]
For personnel not equipped with built-in active camouflage, it could be provided by a variety of devices, all of which vary is shape and sizes.[32] Typically, the energy granting the cloaking effect is suspended inside a small, transparent pyramidal container,[33][34][35] or a larger spherical force-field.[36][37] Upon deployment, the energy previously contained inside the module envelops the user's armor, rendering the armor nearly invisible.[38] Jiralhanae Stalkers employed Cloaking, a piece of single-use equipment with adjacent technology developed by the Jiralhanae.[16][17] After the death of Gek 'Lhar, his corpse was looted by Fireteam Majestic. Spartan Gabriel Thorne took Gek's active camouflage module,[39][32] which he subsequently used during the attempted rescue of Dr. Catherine Halsey.[40] The thruster module compatible with the MJOLNIR [GEN3] armor can be be modified to include the effects of active camouflage; this modification overclocks the system to recharge faster but reduced the length of the camouflage system to just half-a-second.[41] As an example of similar technology employed by the Precursors, the Defenders of the Sanctum were able to manipulate Precursor nanotechnology on Netherop to form armor on their bodies; the armors replicated the effects of active camouflage through the wearer's will.[42]
The pyramidal module for active camouflage.
The Type-3 active camouflage armor enhancement module.
Gek 'Lhar's active camouflage module.
Vehicle active camouflage[edit]
Aircraft or ships could also be equipped with active camouflage systems, such as the Ru'swum-pattern Phantom, which has its own active camouflage generators onboard.[43] Larger vessels such as supercarriers, or entire armies, can be effectively hidden from both plain sight and sensors by using external stealth systems that project a cloaking field, such as deployment spires and stealth pylons.[44][45]