US and UK scientists using a "metamaterial" made of fibreglass and copper successfully cloaked a copper cylinder rendering it invisible to the microwave detectors they were using. While the object was still optically visible, their microwave measuring instruments indicated that the copper cylinder was not there. According to these scientists, microwaves behave in a similar fashion to radar waves. Essentially what is being said here is that will eventually be possible to render an object invisible to radar. The military applications are of course stupendous.
From the standpoint of a lay person, we have been informed of stealth technology which renders some high-tech bombers almost invisible to radar making them very effective military weapons. This new discovery could make current stealth technology seem like a medieval weapon in modern warfare. The application of this technology, once perfected, could render a fighter jet or bomber completely invisible to radar.
It is probably very fortunate that this technology was not found during the Cold War. Imagine the weapons proliferation that would have taken place if it was available. First Strike capability was the real worry in those days, and this technology would allow that capability. Let’s hope that this discovery will not lead down that road.