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Combat ID and Types of "Light"
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All types of quick fix combat ID solutions emit or reflect some sort of energy. It could be visible light, Near-IR, Mid-IR, or Far-IR. All of those energy names indicate the frequency of the energy. It is just like the dial on your car radio. You can tune in 91.1 MHz or 107.3 MHz on your radio dial; when you do so, you are choosing the frequency of the energy you want to receive. When soldiers use glow tape, they are "dialing into" the Near-IR frequency. By doing so, they also choose the device that they must use to receive the signal. In the case of glow tape, you must use NVGs to see it. Other devices require you to "tune-in" to other "frequencies." See the table below to understand how the various combat ID solutions work.
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Emitter/Reflector
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Spectrum
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Receiver
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Glow tape, Phoenix Beacon, VIPIR, Chemlights
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Near-IR
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NVG's, ie PVS-7
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TIP-Panels, MRE heaters (used as markers), No power material
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Mid-IR, FAR-IR
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Thermal Camera, ie Apache Targeting System (TADS)
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Orange Panels
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Visible Light
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Eyes
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Near-IR is similar in nature to visible light, except that we are unable to perceive it with our eyes. Incidentally, this same type of energy is used everyday in the fiber-optic cables that comprise the internet.
Mid-IR and Far-IR are very similar to each other. They are both better known as radiant heat energy. This is the heat energy that every object emits. When you stand next to a wood stove on a chilly day, the heat that you feel is a combination of Mid-IR and Far-IR energy. The following diagram provides a great illustration of the frequencies of energy and the technologies that view them.
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Ranger Outfitters
267 Sunset Drive
Corning, NY 14830
Phone: (607) 346-3685
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