On 3 December 2025, the Defence Laboratory Jodhpur achieved an important step in India’s indigenous defence technology development by formally handing over advanced camouflage and deception systems to the College of Military Engineering in Pune. The delegation from Defence Laboratory Jodhpur was led by its Director and Distinguished Scientist VS Shenoi along with a specialised design team. During the ceremony they presented an indigenously developed multispectral combat tank mock up to Lieutenant General AK Ramesh, Commandant of the College of Military Engineering.

The full scale mock up is designed to replicate the electromagnetic signatures of a real combat tank across visual, microwave and thermal infrared bands. This capability enables the creation of realistic training environments for military personnel. The system will be used by the College of Military Engineering to strengthen training in camouflage, concealment and deception technologies which play a critical role in battlefield survivability. The realistic multispectral signatures allow officers and soldiers to practise detection avoidance and signature management techniques.

Alongside the mock up handover, Defence Laboratory Jodhpur also introduced Camouflage Pattern Generation Software Sigma 4.0. The software has been fully developed within India and is designed to meet long standing requirements of the Indian Armed Forces for advanced camouflage design tools. Sigma 4.0 can generate customised camouflage patterns for military installations, ground vehicles and equipment. Its algorithms are designed to reduce detectability against modern multispectral surveillance systems used by potential adversaries.

The software can be used by the Army, Navy and Air Force, enabling common camouflage and deception practices across the three services and supporting joint operational environments. Members of the Defence Laboratory Jodhpur team present at the event included Dr Ajay Jain, Scientist G and Project Director for the mock up development, along with Ravindra Khandelwal, Scientist E, Sunil Kumar, Technical Officer C, Rajiv Sankhla, Technical Officer C and other contributors.

The initiative reflects India’s broader efforts to strengthen domestic defence research and development under the Atmanirbhar Bharat programme. By developing these systems locally, dependence on imported camouflage and deception training technologies is reduced. With these tools now available at the College of Military Engineering, training programmes for camouflage and deception specialists are expected to become more advanced. Personnel will gain practical experience in countering modern sensing technologies such as electro optical sensors, radar and infrared detection systems.

The multispectral tank mock up has been built with modular components, allowing instructors to simulate different tank configurations, environmental settings and operational conditions during training. Sigma 4.0 also provides an accessible interface with procedural pattern generation. Users can input variables such as terrain type, threat detection characteristics and platform shape to quickly create appropriate camouflage patterns.

These developments support the armed forces in preparing for operations within increasingly complex electromagnetic environments where surveillance technologies are widely deployed. Lieutenant General AK Ramesh praised the efforts of Defence Laboratory Jodhpur during the ceremony, highlighting the importance of the new training systems in improving the institution’s curriculum related to signature management and low observable technologies.

Defence Laboratory Jodhpur is expected to continue developing the Sigma series further, with possible future versions incorporating artificial intelligence based capabilities for adaptive camouflage solutions. The collaboration between Defence Laboratory Jodhpur and the College of Military Engineering demonstrates the integration of research innovation with military training, strengthening India’s overall defence capability.