The proliferation of drone-based surveillance on the modern battlefield has pushed individual soldier concealment to the forefront of defense priorities, and Saab is responding with a dedicated wearable camouflage system. The Swedish company has unveiled the Barracuda Poncho, a multispectral concealment garment designed to hide dismounted soldiers from thermal and, in its arctic configuration, UV sensors across a range of operational environments.
The Barracuda Poncho joins Saab’s existing Barracuda family of camouflage solutions, which spans vehicle, platform, and individual soldier applications. According to Saab, the new poncho builds on feedback from its Barracuda Soldier System and shifts emphasis toward wearability, addressing scenarios where a soldier must move away from a concealed position or vehicle without compromising mission security.
The garment is reversible, with each side configured for a specific light condition: one for daytime use and one for nighttime, the latter featuring enhanced thermal protection. Saab says the poncho covers woodland, stony desert, and arctic environments, with the arctic variant adding UV sensor protection beyond the standard visual and thermal coverage. Total weight is listed at just over 1 kg (about 2.2 pounds), a design priority intended to preserve freedom of movement and allow rapid deployment in the field.
Do you think this is an acceptable weight penalty for individual soldiers already carrying substantial kit?
“Barracuda Poncho is our answer to the recent rise in UAV-based surveillance on the battlefield, where a mission can be compromised if the soldier even briefly leaves a camouflaged vehicle or position. Building on the positive response from our Soldier System, the new Barracuda Poncho solution provides an alternative camouflage solution, focusing on wearability while retaining the exceptional multispectral protection,” said Henning Robach, head of Saab’s Barracuda business unit.
Saab Barracuda Poncho at a glance:
|
Specification |
Detail |
|
Weight |
Just over 1 kg |
|
Design |
Reversible (day/night configuration) |
|
Protection types |
Visual, thermal (all variants); UV (arctic variant) |
|
Environments |
Woodland, stony desert, arctic |
|
Manufacturer |
Saab (Barracuda business unit) |
For those planning to go, the Barracuda Poncho is scheduled to be on display at Eurosatory 2026, at Saab’s stand G180 in Hall 6.
With drone surveillance now a near-constant threat on the modern battlefield, do you think wearable multispectral camouflage will become standard issue for infantry, or remain a specialized tool for SOF units?
