RAM1 (radar absorbent material)

RAM1 is the NATO abbreviation for radar absorbent material. It appears in NATO's Glossary of NATO acronyms and abbreviations (AAP-15) in the form RAM1, paired with the French expression matériau non réflecteur, meaning non-reflective material. The entry is listed in the NATO glossary.

Radar absorbent material is used to make ships, aircraft, vehicles and other platforms harder to detect by radar. Canadian defence research uses the expanded form, radar absorbent material (RAM), for material applied to platform surfaces to reduce radar reflection and radar cross-section (RCS).

How NATO lists RAM1

NATO's glossary records the abbreviation as RAM1, not simply RAM. The English expansion is radar absorbent material, and the French equivalent is matériau non réflecteur. Bid teams working on defence solicitations that draw on NATO terminology will find this form in alliance documents, and the glossary is the reference for what it stands for.

Radar cross-section reduction in Canadian defence research

A Canadian government defence publication identifies radar absorbent material, together with suitable shapes and angles, as a means of minimizing a platform's radar cross-section. The same publication describes applying RAM to radar-reflective "hot-spot" areas, the parts of a platform that return the most radar energy.

Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) has also looked at the subject. A DRDC technology-investment publication refers to investigating the radar cross-section of RAM-covered platforms, alongside signature prediction and reduction aimed at better survivability and sensor effectiveness.

Related terms in radar signature work

Several terms sit close to RAM1 in technical writing:

• Radar cross-section (RCS): the measure of how strongly a platform reflects radar energy, which RAM is meant to lower.
• Radar absorbing material: a variant wording of the same idea, listed as a technical expression in NATO technical material.
• Radar absorbing structure: listed alongside radar absorbing material in the same NATO material.
• Radar signature reduction: the broader discipline that covers shaping, materials and prediction.

Export controls on electromagnetic absorbing materials

Canada's 2026 Export Control List includes technical controls for certain materials designed to absorb electromagnetic frequencies above 2 × 10^8 Hz and below 3 × 10^12 Hz, subject to the listed technical conditions and exclusions. The list is an export-control classification written in technical terms. It does not itself designate any material as RAM1.

What RAM1 means for a bidder

If RAM1 appears in a Canadian solicitation, read it as radar absorbent material and confirm the exact requirement in the tender documents. The technical specification, statement of work, drawings, quality requirements and security provisions define what the buyer expects. Check any export-control or controlled-goods requirements before you commit to supplying or shipping the material, since absorbing materials can fall under export controls. Do not assume a standard, certification or test regime from the abbreviation alone. Ask the contracting authority through the question period if the documents leave the meaning of RAM1 open.