Turkish startup claims volcanic spray coating could make cheap battlefield drones dramatically harder for radar systems to detect | Tech Radar
Overview
News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
Details
Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards.
Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
'Built around volcanic materials' — Turkish startup wants to make billion-dollar radar systems near obsolete with cheap spray-in-a-can tech that claims to bring stealth capabilities to low-cost drones
Basalt and pumice can hide military drones from enemies
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Volcanic minerals may allow ordinary drones to evade advanced radar detection systems
Spray-on stealth coatings could eliminate expensive composite panels from military drone manufacturing
Radar networks become less effective when drones return with dramatically weaker electronic signatures
A small Turkish defense research company claims it developed a spray-applied radar-absorbing coating capable of reducing drone visibility against modern detection systems.
The project, led by Turkish researcher Yunus İnce, centers around a material called Kürşat 3.0, developed during a seven-year engineering effort.
According to technical details, the coating applies directly onto aircraft surfaces instead of relying upon expensive composite stealth panels or complex structural modifications.
Japan joins Australia in building cardboard drones — and they’re scarily cheap
How a tiny Hawaii startup is rewriting the rules of naval shipbuilding with 3D printers and 100% recyclable materials
Volcanic materials may change how low-cost drones avoid radar detection
Kürşat 3.0 uses basalt and pumice, both volcanic rocks, as its core ingredients rather than exotic synthetic compounds.
Recent testing reportedly produced an attenuation of 43.2 decibels (d B), a dramatic reduction in the strength of a radar signal reflected to the receiver.
In practical terms, this means the radar echo from the coated drone is approximately 20,000 to 40,000 times weaker than that from an uncoated object of the same size and shape.
An attenuation figure of 43.2 decibels would place this material in genuinely competitive territory if confirmed independently.
Academic literature typically reports effective broadband radar absorption in the range of 20 to 30 decibels under standardized conditions.
Pushing substantially beyond that threshold while maintaining the simplicity of a spray application would represent a meaningful advance over commercially available products.
With 43.2d B, a drone that should be visible at several kilometers with a strong, trackable return signature would either disappear entirely from the radar screen or appear only at such close range that the defending system has virtually no time to react.
'The second life of drones': Why thousands of UAVs in Ukraine have stopped working, how a team of 'craftsmen' is fixing 24,000 obsolete drones every year, and what it means for the future of the drone industry
Nigerian startup builds AI drone systems to protect Africa’s vital industries
Ukraine preps drone-killing laser which can destroy targets 3 miles away
In military terms, this shrinks the detection and engagement envelope from a comfortable buffer zone down to a frantic last-second warning.
Radar stealth conventionally requires either carefully shaped airframes or expensive composite panels bonded by specialists.
This material works differently by exploiting the microscopic pore structures found in basalt and pumice.
Those natural cavities trap incoming electromagnetic waves and convert them into heat instead of reflecting energy toward the radar receiver.
The underlying scientific principle has attracted academic attention for over a decade, making the approach plausible rather than fanciful.
A sprayable formula eliminates the seams and coverage gaps that plague traditional composite panel installations on complex curved surfaces.
The war in Ukraine has shown that drones costing a few thousand dollars can destroy armored vehicles and disrupt supply lines at scale.
Defenders have responded by expanding radar networks and electronic warfare systems specifically designed to find and kill those drones.
Reducing a drone's radar signature complicates every stage of that detection chain, and doing so with a coating that adds negligible weight would make stealth accessible to operators using commercial hardware.
Turkey's defense industry has already proved with the Bayraktar TB2 that affordable unmanned systems can reshape battlefields before Western analysts fully appreciate the shift.
However, at the time of writing, no independent testing verified this technology, and the relevant radar frequency bands for operational use remain unspecified.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and a single attenuation figure from unpublished testing does not yet meet that standard.
The volcanic materials themselves are inexpensive and abundant, which is scientifically reasonable.
But laboratory measurements rarely survive translation to field conditions with vibration, weather, and real-world radar frequency variations.
Until independent verification appears across operationally relevant bands, Kürşat 3.0 remains an intriguing research outcome rather than a military breakthrough.
Follow Tech Radar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.
Efosa has been writing about technology for over 7 years, initially driven by curiosity but now fueled by a strong passion for the field. He holds both a Master's and a Ph D in sciences, which provided him with a solid foundation in analytical thinking.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
1'AI adoption has become a game of chance': Employees are being left to navigate AI tools on their own as businesses fail to implement proper training
2 Norton Life Lock can secure your identity from thieves for just $10 per month
3 This lithium-ion breakthrough could solve a global battery issue
4 Lidl launches super-cheap solar balcony battery to help cut energy bills
5FIFA websites spoofed by hackers ahead of 2026 World Cup, FBI warns
Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.
Key Takeaways
- News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
- Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
- Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards
- Unlock instant access to exclusive member features
- Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards
