FibreCoat’s New Radar-Absorbing ‘Stealth’ Fiber Reinforced Composites for Spacecraft, Aircraft and Tanks

September 1, 2025

A machine operator begins the production process for the development of FibreCoat’s fiber reinforced composite. (Image: FibreCoat)

FibreCoat, the German materials startup, has developed a groundbreaking fiber reinforced composite that is capable of making aircraft, tanks and spacecraft invisible to radar surveillance.

The company was officially founded in Aachen, Germany, in 2020, however its core founding team first began developing new approaches to the use of materials that make commercial and military vehicles invisible to radar as back as 2014. FibreCoat is known for inventing a novel technology to coat metals and plastics onto fibers, thus combining the properties of the fibers and the coating material, during the fiber-spinning process.

The new fiber reinforced composite – still at the proof-of-concept stage – goes beyond traditional radar-shielding technology. Where existing solutions rely on reflecting radar waves, FibreCoat’s fiber reinforced composite, a thin and flexible radar absorbing material (RAM), absorbs them. It uses bicomponent multifilament yarn dispersed in composites and is made from carefully engineered blends of PMMA, carbon nanotubes, and Alucoat fillers. These are tuned for precise thicknesses (ranging from 0.5 mm to 6 mm) and for key radar frequency bands such as the X-band (8–12 GHz).

It is a major leap forward that increases the number of possible applications, from military stealth to electronic protection. The RAM has achieved reflection losses of up to -40 dB, equivalent to 99.99 percent radar absorption – making it among the most effective RAMs available today.

Unlike many stealth solutions that degrade at angle, FibreCoat’s multilayer composites maintain performance across curved surfaces and slanted radar exposure. In testing, they have achieved ≥ -10 dB reflection loss up to 60° in Transverse Electric (TE) mode and up to 45° in Transverse Magnetic (TM) mode.

FibreCoat has also provided the following examples where their composites could be used in specific defense applications:

Lightweight EMI shielding for sensitive electronics
Integrated EMI shielding, custom RCS and resistive heating for mobile structures
Chaff payloads for maritime and airborne applications

Current stealth technology typically requires thick plating or specialized paints. Rival materials are narrow-band, so targeting a single radar frequency. FibreCoat’s solution, in contrast, is lightweight, flexible, and broadband: absorbing radar across a wide spectrum of frequencies and outperforming existing materials by up to 100 times.

A close-up view of FibreCoat’s fiber-reinforced composites. (Image: FibreCoat)

The fiber reinforced composite, a type of ‘meta-material’, is soon to be commercially available. The company has completed successful laboratory tests and measurements, and expects field testing to be complete this year. FibreCoat is also considering the offer of the fiber reinforced composite to partners for integration into final products.

“This is a leap forward. We’re moving stealth technology beyond the limits imposed by needing to reflect, rather than absorb radar waves,” said Dr Robert Brüll, CEO of FibreCoat. “Absorption opens up a range of new possibilities. We expect this fiber reinforced composite to give the space, defense and automotive sectors more design freedom. It’s lightweight, broadband, and highly effective.”

The stealth technology market is a critical part of the defence sector. At a time of geopolitical unrest, there is surging demand for materials that do more without adding weight, complexity or cost.

FibreCoat now employs 42 members of staff and has three production sites: Aachen, Germany; Rustavi, Georgia; and Gorlice, Poland.

This article was provided by FibreCoat (Aachen, Germany). For more information, visit here .