1966 US Army Vietnam War ARMOR ... - Survival Books

WWW.SURVIVALEBOOKS.COM1' -JFigure 81. Sketch range card.(2) Defense. Radio listening silence and often become targets and while the fire theymore reliance on wire communica- draw may be ineffective from the standpoint oftions, messengers, and signaling de- destroying the searchlight, the light does provices.vide a focal point for the fire into friendly elements6. Artificial Lighting of the Battlefield in the vicinity.c. Near Infrared Illumination. Near ina.General. Battlefield lighting consists of frared is an active illumination system thatactive lighting systems that use visible light uses near infrared radiations that are invisibleand nonvisible (infrared) light from manmade to the naked eye. This system uses near insources.The efficiency of these systems is frared radiation that is projected toward thegreatly reduced by fog, haze, rain, dust, smoke, scene by an illuminator. Examples of equipandsnow.ment that use near infrared illumination areb. Visible Illumination. The employment of metascopes, infrared weapons sights, infraredvisible light has been the most common means driving lights, infrared searchlights, and inofincreasing the range of vision during dark- frared periscopes and telescopes. These devicesness to date. Examples of visible battlefield il- have greater inherent security than systemslumination are ground signals, illuminating using visible light since infrared radiation cangrenades,trip flares, artillery, mortar, and not be detected by the naked eye. Althoughrocket-delivered illumination flare, aircraft-de- simple devices can be used to detect active nearlivered flares, searchlights, and improvised infrared at ranges of several miles, their fieldmeans. The observer needs no special equip- of view is restricted, and therefore the obmentto use this system. The chief disadvan- server must not only be using the propertage of the use of visible light is its inherent equipment but also be looking in the right dilackof security. Enemy forces are immediately rection to detect the infrared source. Thesealerted and often times the light can be of con- factors, in addition to the technique of employsiderablebenefit to the enemy if the illumi- ing the active sources intermittently, greatlynation is not carefully planned. Searchlights reduce the probability of detecting active near347