LASER ATTENUATION AND OBSCURANT EFFICIENCY OF SCREENING SMOKE

Abstract

The concealment capability is one of the most important characteristics of smoke screens used in military camouflage. In this article, the influence of several factors (i.e., the formulation, sample mass, and environmental conditions) on the obscurant capabilities (including the degree of the 1.064 μm laser attenuation, the mass extinction coefficient, the Yield factor, and the Figure of Merit) was investigated and evaluated. The findings indicate that red phosphorus-based smoke compositions exhibit higher obscurant characteristics, providing superior laser attenuation to traditional anthracene-based formulations. The research findings can be used to develop a method for determining the laser attenuation capability of smoke screens.