From camouflage software to tank decoys, DRDO boosts Army’s concealment playbook following Op Sindoor

Drawing on the idea that deception remains central to modern warfare, India has moved to strengthen battlefield concealment after recent hostilities with Pakistan exposed the growing threat from missiles, drones and sensor-led surveillance, The Times of India has reported.

In the first week of December, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) transferred two indigenous camouflage and deception technologies to the Indian Army. The systems, Camouflage Pattern Generation Software Sigma 4.0 (CPGSS 4.0) and a full-scale multispectral signature tank mock-up, were handed over by DRDO’s Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur (DLJ) to the Army’s Corps of Military Engineering (CME) in Pune.

“CPGSS4.0 was launched today (Dec 3) by Lt Gen A K Ramesh, SM, Comdt CME in the presence of V S Shenoi, Director, DLJ and will be available for use by tri-services,” DRDO said in a post on X.


“A full scale multispectral signature tank mock-up will be use (sic) for training the service personnel in camouflaging and deception technology,” it added.


The technology transfer comes months after the May conflict with Pakistan, during which Indian military assets, including air defence systems such as the Russian-origin S-400 Triumf, were targeted by enemy missiles and drones. The episode underscored the need to counter modern detection tools that operate across visible, infrared and radar spectrums.

CPGSS 4.0 is an advanced software system designed to generate terrain-specific camouflage patterns for military equipment. It enables forces to mask assets from detection by visible light, infrared and radar sensors, improving survivability in environments where thermal imaging, drones and radar surveillance are increasingly common.

The multispectral signature tank mock-up, meanwhile, is a full-scale decoy that replicates not just the visual appearance of a battle tank but also its heat and radar signatures. This allows soldiers to train in advanced concealment techniques and test camouflage materials against modern sensor threats.

According to defence officials cited by TOI, traditional camouflage methods are no longer sufficient on battlefields dominated by UAV reconnaissance, thermal cameras and radar systems. The integration of software-driven pattern generation with realistic decoys is aimed at closing that gap.

Separately, the government, earlier this month said that DRDO has handed over seven technologies developed under the Technology Development Fund (TDF) scheme to the three Services.

These include an indigenous high-voltage power supply for airborne self-protection jammers, a tide-efficient gangway for naval jetties, advanced very low frequency–high frequency switching matrix systems, VLF loop aerials for underwater platforms, an indigenous waterjet propulsion system for fast interceptor craft, a novel process for recovery of lithium precursors from used lithium-ion batteries, and a long-life seawater battery system for sustained underwater sensing and surveillance applications.

The defence ministry said the technologies were designed, developed and extensively tested by Indian industry in close collaboration with DRDO and the Services, reinforcing the focus on import substitution and critical technology development.

(With inputs from TOI)