British Army Tests 'Invisible' Tank

October 30, 2007 9:32 a.m. EST

London, England (AHN) - The Ministry of Defense confirmed that they are testing technology they claim makes tanks and troops invisible.

The highly secret trials were conducted by the Royal Engineers and scientists from specialist researchers QinetiQ, the former research arm of the MoD described the tests successful after they were able to make a vehicle seem to completely disappear.

"This technology is absolutely incredible. If I hadn't been present I wouldn't have believed it," a soldier present at the trials said. "I looked across the fields and just saw grass and trees - but in reality I was staring down the barrel of a tank gun."

According to the scientists, the breakthrough was made possible by using cameras and projectors to beam images captured from the surrounding landscape onto a specially-adapted tank coated with silicon to maximize their reflective qualities, resulting in the naked eye seeing only the view which is behind the tank.

The technology could reach the battlefield within five years, said Professor Sir John Pendry of Imperial College London, the world's leading authority on the physics of invisibility.

Aside from the tank, the British military is also testing a combat jacket working on the same principles.