11 Functional and smart textiles for military and defence applications

Nowadays, the textiles which are used in military applications have become more functional and capable due to constant technical innovations in this field. Military smart textiles not only improve the performance of the soldiers but also provide more mobility and fast connectivity. Moreover, with the advancement in the field of nanotechnology, wearable sensors/actuators, wireless networking, personal thermal regulation, energy storage, and harvesting a huge revolution has been observed in the developments of military and defence textiles with various smart features. This chapter deals with the advancements in the field of textiles for military and defence applications. The first section discusses about smart body amours for armed forces, their materials, and technologies. The second section covers smart military garments such as uniform with programmable fibres, microwave/radar absorptive textiles, camouflages, multi-spectral camouflage net, and stealth-coated textiles. The third section discusses the different functional military textiles such as extended cold weather clothing system clothing, military sleeping bags, high-altitude pulmonary oedema chambers, military parachutes, and paragliding. The fourth section covers the applications of sensors in various defence applications, application of aerostat/airships in military surveillance, and other intelligent textiles for military and defence applications. The final section highlights the current changes and future perspectives of functional and smart textiles for military and defence applications.