Progress in helicopter infrared signature suppression

Due to their low-attitude and relatively low-speed fight profiles, helicopters are subjected to serious threats from radio, infrared (IR), visual, and aural detection and tracking. Among these threats, infrared detection and tracking are regarded as more crucial for the survivability of helicopters. In order to meet the requirements of infrared stealth, several different types of infrared suppressor (IRS) for helicopters have been developed. This paper reviews contemporary developments in this discipline, with particular emphasis on infrared signature suppression, advances in mixer-ejectors and prediction for helicopters. In addition, several remaining challenges, such as advanced IRS, emissivity optimization technique, helicopter infrared characterization, etc., are proposed, as an initial guide and stimulation for future research. In the future, the comprehensive infrared suppression in the 3–5 μm and 8–14 μm bands will doubtfully become the emphasis of helicopter stealth. Multidisciplinary optimization of a complete infrared suppression system deserves further investigation.