SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES FOR TESTING AND ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF MATERIAL PRODUCTS FOR THERMAL MASKING OF MILITARY VEHICLES FROM THEIR DETEC-TION BY THERMAL INTELLIGENCE

In Ukraine, with the beginning of military aggression by Russia, state scientific institutions and private companies began development work on the production of prototypes of infrared camouflage camouflage clothing products and they continue to this day, but officially no sample has yet been adopted for service due to the lack of an approved methodology for testing and evaluating these products in the Ministry of Defense. Assessment of the effectiveness of thermal masking of such clothing products requires an analysis of the correct application of the thermography method to military tests of these prototypes, adequate to real combat conditions, and determination of the main indicators for assessing the quality of camouflage of items of property of different designs, which is the subject of this study. The authors proposed four scientific principles for applying the thermography method to military tests adequate to real combat conditions, prototypes of thermal camouflage products for military personnel from detection by thermal reconnaissance technical devices, and determined the main indicators for assessing the quality of camouflage. As a determining parameter of thermal radiation for assessing the quality of prototypes of camouflage products of different designs, it is sufficient to assign one of three coefficients, namely, the reflection coefficient. The results obtained can be used to improve camouflage methods in combat conditions, as well as to develop new materials and technologies for reducing the thermal visibility of objects. This study is relevant for the military sphere, especially for the military Special Operations Forces (SFO), where the hidden movement of sabotage and reconnaissance groups and avoiding their premature detection by thermal reconnaissance devices is important.