While public attention mainly focuses on drones, artificial intelligence and cyber warfare, one of the most essential components of military equipment remains strikingly invisible: what the soldier wears. Not the weapon, but the textile often provides the first and most direct protection in conflict zones.
Behind uniforms, bulletproof vests and chemical protective suits stands a mature Belgian industry that has been involved in European defence programmes for decades. Around companies such as Utexbel, Seyntex, Sioen, Concordia Textiles and specialised weaving mills, an entire ecosystem has developed that designs, produces and tests military textiles. Their presence at international defence trade fairs such as Enforce Tac, Milipol and Future Forces underlines that this sector is no longer a niche, but a structural part of the European defence supply chain.
“When it comes down to it, technical textiles ensure the protection of our military personnel,” the sector states. The claim is less obvious than it seems. Modern warfare is not only about detection and precision, but also about surviving in extreme conditions: heat, cold, fire, chemical and biological threats, and more.
From weaving mill to high-tech industry
The roots of this expertise lie in the traditional Flemish textile industry. Companies that once supplied uniform fabrics have evolved into producers of high-tech materials. Utexbel, Sioen and Seyntex have been manufacturing clothing and protective systems for European armies, police forces and fire services for decades. From combat gear and flight suits to tent fabrics and CBRN materials – protection against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents. Their strength lies in vertical integration: from yarn production and weaving to dyeing and finishing. This allows them to respond quickly to specific military requirements.
Concordia Textiles, founded in 1925, also illustrates this transformation. Today, the company produces military fabrics for technical and ballistic vests, backpack systems and rainwear.
The result is a sector positioned at the intersection of traditional manufacturing and materials science.
The soldier’s “first skin”
Military textiles are not ordinary clothing. They are layered systems in which each layer has a specific function: thermal regulation, camouflage, protection against flames or projectiles, and sometimes even against chemical or biological agents.
The principle is that all layers work together. Underwear, combat uniforms, rain protection and load-bearing equipment are designed as a single system to ensure protection in a wide range of conditions. The clothing is tested in realistic environments by soldiers before final specifications are set.
Within the sector, this whole system is often described as the soldier’s “first skin”: the material that permanently stands between the individual and the threat.
Ballistic protection
The best-known application remains ballistic protection. Bulletproof vests consist of a complex textile construction that integrates a protective layer made of multiple layers of high-performance fibres and fabrics that slow down projectiles and capture fragments. Belgian weaving mills process fibres such as aramids and UHMWPE into lightweight yet extremely strong structures that are also used in helmets.
Visual camouflage
Visual camouflage is more than a design that blends into the environment. It also includes camouflage techniques that complicate infrared detection and detection by night-vision devices. Concordia Textiles closely follows the rapid evolution of this technology and develops specific prints that manipulate infrared reflection in a way that disrupts shape recognition.
Multispectral camouflage and the AI challenge
While traditional night-vision devices operate on heat differences, modern battlefields are what are known as “sensor-saturated.” They combine thermal cameras, multispectral sensors (light, IR and UV), radar, LIDAR, satellite imagery and drone-based detection. You no longer need to be visible to the naked eye to be discovered. Reflection, shape, heat and your electromagnetic signature can reveal everything.
Het is vandaag dus die multispectrale camouflage, in combinatie met AI, die voor een snelle wending in de detectiesystemen zorgt. AI herkent onnatuurlijke temperatuurpatronen, beweging, pixelafwijkingen, enz. Het is dus niet alleen zaak om de mens te misleiden, maar ook de algoritmes. En dat maakt camouflage extreem complex.
As if that were not enough, modern fabrics must simultaneously be lightweight, breathable, flame-retardant, antistatic and insect-repellent. The latter is often underestimated, partly due to the global increase in ticks – in this area, Utexbel is the absolute market leader.
Chemical protection
Textiles also play a major role in chemical protection. Fabrics can be treated with coatings that repel liquids, oil or chemical agents. Finipur develops such finishes, while synthetic fibre producers such as IFG Cresco supply flame-retardant components. In this way, clothing becomes an active safety layer rather than a passive barrier.
European autonomy
Producing military textiles in Europe is strategically important. Governments want to avoid dependence on non-European suppliers for essential equipment. Belgian companies therefore emphasise their local production, traceable supply chains and compliance with European standards.
Research centre Centexbel supports this evolution with materials research and prototyping facilities. Innovations in fibres, coatings and composites find their way more quickly into operational applications.
At the same time, exports are growing. Belgian manufacturers supply, among others, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Canada. Armies also sometimes purchase to build up strategic reserves.
Sustainability on the battlefield
Remarkably, sustainability is also playing a role. Where possible, harmful chemical treatments are avoided, and used uniforms and other discarded textiles are collected and recycled. Some companies already incorporate recycled fibres into technical fabrics, and the recycling of worn combat uniforms is being explored.
This approach not only serves ecological purposes. It also prevents military materials from entering the civilian market and may in the future contribute to raw material security.
More than a niche
The Belgian textile sector thus demonstrates that defence innovation does not lie exclusively in electronics or software. Materials technology remains essential for operational safety. However advanced weapons systems become, a soldier remains dependent on the textile that surrounds them.
Read also: https://textirama.be/en/military-and-security-the-growing-impact-of-belgian-technical-textiles/
