High Launch Force Survivable Bispectral Obscurant

Bispectral Obscurants are used to defend troops and equipment from electro-optical and infra-red (EO/IR) detection devices. These obscurants are packaged within small form factor munitions such as a 66mm grenade or hand emplaced units that subsequently release the obscurant material into the air. The US Army is interested in Bispectral Obscurants that can survive high acceleration loads when launched from artillery munitions.  Integrated Solutions for Systems, (IS4S) and its research institution partner, Clark Atlanta University (CAU), propose a fluorosurfactant (Capstone FS-65) coated aluminum flake that prevents cold welding of the flake under high compressive loads, improves the coefficient of extinction, and reduces adhesion which promotes dispersion. The Phase I project includes stripping and coating of the aluminum flake, subscale in-house coefficient of extinction testing, and delivering quantity five 1-gram samples of the material to the Army.