South Korea’s infrared rays-scattering smoke canister to fool laser-guided weapons

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has signed a deal with a firm for the mass procurement of domestic infrared-shielding smoke canisters.

DAPA has signed a $ 5.5 million (7.5 billion won) deal with Samyang Chemical for the production of the smoke canisters between 2024 and 2026.

The smoke canisters had completed the development phase way back in 2020. This was followed by years of inspections and field operations test.  Finally, the South Korean military will be able to get the canisters in their hands by the next year.

The new advanced smoke canisters can not only block visible light but also scatter infrared radiation, making it difficult for enemy thermal imaging systems and laser guided weapons to target soldiers and other military targets.

South Korea’s DAPA also said that the new smoke canisters can be used in ground and marine operations.

Improvements over existing smoke canisters in use by South Korea

According to the press release by DAPA, the KM5 white smoke canister and KM4A2 floating white smoke canisters have been used by South Korean forces since 1980s.

However, they have the limitation that they could only block visible light and could not block surveillance equipment or guided weapons that utilize infrared rays.

The new smoke canisters are also low on toxicity, and confirmed to be non-carcinogenic in nature, which improves the chances of their usability. DAPA states that they are at the same level as the smoke canisters used by soldiers of the United States and Germany.

The new smoke canister is expected to minimize damage to the health of not only soldiers but also the people and the natural ecosystem.

Since it effectively blocks aimed fire from enemy troops, it greatly boosts the survivability of the troops. It also guarantees that operations can be carried out in a confidential manner, enhancing the military’s operation capability.

More benefits for the army and future goals

In addition, compared to existing smoke canisters, the combat load is reduced due to its lighter weight, enabling rapid maneuvering, increasing operational convenience, and the durability of the product has also increased, improving operability and storability.

“We are proud to have developed an infrared shielding smoke canister with improved performance and toxicity using our own technology and to have signed the first mass production contract,” said Kim Ho-seong – the head of DAPA’s Firepower Division. He then went on to add, “We will actively promote the excellent performance of our smoke canister so that it can be used all over the world.”

The smoke canisters will undergo initial production inspections and field operation tests by the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality and the military, before being finally handed over to the South Korean military.

The country is also planning to offer the domestically produced smoke canisters for sale to other countries, as per DAPA’s press release.