Saab launches Barracuda camouflage poncho

Saab's Barracuda thermal and visual camouflage poncho, launched in May 2026. (Saab)

Saab has unveiled a camouflage poncho designed to limit detection of soldiers by various sensors.

An addition to its existing Barracuda soldier system, the Barracuda Poncho is intended to hide the wearer from thermal sensors while providing freedom of movement, according to Saab.

The Poncho weighs 1 kg, with a reversible design for a night and day configuration. “Barracuda Poncho is our answer to the recent rise in UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle]-based surveillance on the battlefield, where a mission can be compromised if the soldier even briefly leaves a camouflaged vehicle or position,” said Henning Robach, head of Saab's business unit Barracuda.

Revealing the system to Janes at a media briefing in May 2026, Daniel Nordstrom from Saab's Barracuda business unit said the poncho's radar absorbing material and multispectral camouflage enhanced infrared concealment at night.

The poncho, and Barracuda's larger camouflage nets for vehicles or fixed positions have a block pattern. Even at 20 m or so that pattern can't be seen, said Nordstrom, and the squares have different thermal as well as visual signatures. He added that user feedback was against covering the wearer's face with the material, as it limits their situational awareness.

The poncho can be tied to trees as a hide against overhead UAVs, Nordstrom said.

The arctic version of the poncho is designed to stop UV sensors, the company added, while reflecting a cool infrared signature from the environment. Nordstrom said that the vehicle kit was designed to absorb some heat from the vehicle underneath.

For more, please see: France orders camouflage nets from Saab