Lighting Up Battle
The Only Way to Control the Night is to
Be Able to See in the Night. Flashlights are the
Most Basic Tool to Make That Happen.
by Kenya McCullum, SOTECH Correspondent
The nature of special operations necessitates that much of the military’s most dangerous work is done under the cloak of dark. When it comes to keeping soldiers alive, however, the military cannot afford to be in the dark about illumination products. The marketplace is filled with companies that manufacture these products for military use—as well as civilian law enforcement use—in order to assist users with their operations and keep them safe.
AE LIGHT
AE Light, a division of Allsman Enterprises, has been manufacturing personal searchlights since 1994. These products, known as the AE PowerLights and the AE Xenides, are lightweight with the form factor of a flashlight—but they pack a much more powerful punch and throw light much further distances than a plain old flashlight. Although these products can be used for certain personal activities, such as camping, for most everyday uses, AE Light’s products are much too powerful.
“They’re not designed for the typical flashlight kind of a guy that’s going to run down to Wal-Mart and buy a flashlight—that’s not our customer,” said AE Light’s managing partner Marc Allsman. “They’re designed for professional applications—law enforcement, border patrol, military, search and rescue—these are the folks that typically buy our lights.”
Although AE Light’s products are ideal for military use, Allsman noted that even then, they are not right for every single situation where illumination may be necessary.
“Our lights are designed to throw lots of light long distances. They’re really not for use for up close and personal. If you need to shine a light down at your feet to see what’s there, our lights are too powerful,” he said. “If you need to see what’s across the river, in the woods, or behind an alleyway—if you need to light it up to see what’s there before you put your body in harm’s way—our lights are the ones that do that for you. If you don’t need lots of light and you’re just operating in a close proximity, our lights are an overkill.”
The AE Light is 2 pounds and can throw light up to 2,000 feet. It uses rechargeable lithum-ion batteries, which are much more powerful than the metal hydride batteries that flashlights use. As a result, these batteries hold their charge longer than flashlight batteries and can be used immediately after not being used for long periods of time. The AE Xenide model, which also uses rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, is 1.9 pounds and projects light up to 2,200 feet.
In addition to their power, AE Light’s products are able to help the user easily distinguish colors, to see clearly during times when, for example, someone is hiding in the bushes or in the forest.
All of these factors have helped make AE Light’s products powerful, life-saving tools for military personnel. Allsman said that he regularly receives positive feedback about the company’s products from soldiers on the battlefield.
“A year or so ago, we received an e-mail from a Marine who was in Iraq that had something to do with locating landmines. He had our Pow- erLight and when he was doing an inspection at night, an IED exploded and a wall caved in on him and he was trapped. Here he was laying there, with nobody around him, in the middle of the night,” said Allsman. “Apparently one of the young man’s aircraft was flying over and he took our light and shined it up at it to attract attention. The folks that were controlling the aircraft saw the bright light shining up at it in the middle of the desert, in the middle of nowhere, and questioned what that was all about. They sent down a squad to go investigate it and they found him there. He attributes our light to saving his life.”
FNH USA
When Dan Primeau of Viper Research—a research and development company that designs illumination devices for FNH USA—gets feedback about his products, the Striker-6 and the Viper X-11, he most commonly hears them described by another “F” word: formidable. Primeau said this is because he specifically designs his products to be tough because he knows that is what the military and law enforcement personnel need.
“A lot of the research and development is driven very heavily from looking at problems that these guys are running into and trying to come up with some solutions that are reasonable for the things that they need done,” he said. “Both the Striker and Viper, in comparison to other tactical lights that are out on the market, are a heavier unit. They’re compact, but they’re heavier than most units you’re going to come across out there on the market in that size range.”
Part of what makes these products so durable is their case hardened smasher ring, which helps users to break through windows as needed—while still keeping the units intact and fully functional. In addition, they are made from 6061 Aluminum and 1045 Steel, which helps them to withstand the extremes that soldiers face on the battlefield.
Both of these products can be mounted on weapons in addition to being used as handheld units. When they are in the mounted application, lenses of the Striker-6 and Viper X-11 are designed so that they will not collect gun powder and can be easily cleaned when they get dirty. And when you need maintenance on them, these products are easy to fix and include a self-servicing kit that has all the tools users will need on the battlefield.
LASER DEVICES
Since 1979, Laser Devices Inc. (LDI) has been on a mission, to enhance “the capabilities of our military, law enforcement and manufacturing customers with state-of-the-art, technically advanced laser aiming devices, laser based small arms training simulators, laser based and white light illumination systems and quality laser diodes and power supplies.”
The company has been able to accomplish this through extensive research and working with customers until products are just right.
“We’ve done some studies, working with the end users in the field, to design the unit in a manner so the soldier can be easily trained and can use the unit very effectively under combat conditions,” said Heinz Thummel, LDI’s president.
As a result, customers who have used LDI’s products find them to be user friendly and effective.
“They’re customer driven and responsive and tend to do a lot of follow up with customers—especially when they’re doing data projects like testing for new models,” said John Cayanne, the director of training at North Vector, which provides training services to the U.S. military as well as federal, state and municipal law enforcement personnel. “They like to get products out there and put them in the hands of special forces guys, who will actually use them, to see what they think of them and see if they need to be modified before LDI finalizes product development. I think this lends itself to making a better finished product because oftentimes you end up with these great tech wizards behind stuff, but then they’re not practical users so they think that some features may be great and come out with this new thing. Then you get it out into the field and it doesn’t work.”
In fact, Cayanne—who first became acquainted with LDI’s products when he was a sergeant of a weapons platoon in the Marine Corps—said he contacted the company’s vice president of global sales and marketing, Joseph A. Hotz, about ways to improve LDI’s products. The next thing Cayanne knew, he was at LDI’s office discussing his ideas with the company’s decision makers.
LDI’s aiming lasers include the AR-2A, the BA-6, and the DBAL. They are designed to work with numerous military and law enforcement weapons—from a .50 caliber Barrett rifle to a .22 caliber pistol and everything in between. Additionally, LDI manufactures a laser training product—the LaserBlaster- Z—which is a dry fire device that allows trainees to hone their point-and-shoot skills.
LDI’s handheld lights include the Operative OV-1 and the Operator OP-6. These products, built from aircraft aluminum, allow users to identify facial features from 30 feet away and are pocket sized. In addition, the company offers weapon lights— including the LAS/TAC 2, the MP5 tactical light foregrips, and the OP-6 with A.R.M.S. throw lever mount. These rugged products are waterproof, compact, and have attributes that are invaluable on the battlefield—including a feature that allows users to program the lights so that the products don’t turn on automatically while mounted on a weapon.
“If you’re moving around in combat—or on a SWAT operation— with night vision and you’re trying to be discreet about it and all of a sudden somebody’s illuminating their flashlight accidentally, you can obviously understand what could end up happening,” said Cayanne.
STREAMLIGHT
Streamlight, which has been in business for 35 years, boasts that it can understand clients’ needs because of an intimate familiarity with clients’ activities. From the president to the sales director to the sales managers, Streamlight’s employees are getting down and dirty to appreciate how clients will be using their products.
They complete firefighter training, take classes in low-light shooting, and engage in outdoor activities to get a firsthand understanding of what their clients require and want in illumination products. The results of this hands-on research are a group of virtually indestructible products made specifically for military use that are divided into three groups: the Tactical Hand-Held Series, the Tactical Gun Mount Series, and the Strion Series.
Included in the handheld series is the Sidewinder, a versatile 4.96 ounce product that can be used easily with gloves, is waterproof, and is able to withstand extreme temperatures. In addition, for the soldier’s convenience and protection, the light provides incremental illumination—starting at a low level and increasing accordingly as the user adjusts it.
“When you turn it on, the light comes out at 5 percent. It comes out very low so that the soldier doesn’t have to worry about covering it up and being totally covert,” said Brett Marquart, Streamlight’s director of government and military sales. “They get just enough light to see—they can use it at that level, for example in a cockpit—where they don’t have to filter it or put a tube or a sleeve over it, so it only emits a little bit of light. They never have to remember where they left it, how bright is it going to come on, or if it is going to give away their position.”
Additionally, in its gun mount series, Streamlight offers products (e.g., TLR-1 and TLR-2 with laser sight) that are lightweight, easy to use, and designed not to interfere with the weapons they are mounted on. They can be quickly attached and detached and are powered by batteries with a 10-year shelf life. With the products in the company’s Strion Series—which are the only rechargeable gun mounts on the market and include the Strion and the Tactical Strion—users receive up to 70 minutes of continuous use.
Although Streamlight products are state-of-the art illumination devices, Marquart said the company is able to keep costs affordable through an innovative manufacturing technique of building products that are cellular in nature. Instead of producing millions of dollars worth of inventory and keeping it on a warehouse shelf, the company’s manufacturing model relies on cells that each build a specific product, which allow each product to be built as orders for it come in. Each employee in manufacturing is trained on all of the company’s cells, helping to keep costs down by not paying employees a full-time salary to make a specific product that may not always be in heavy demand—as well as preventing company layoffs.
SUREFIRE, LLC
For the last 40 years, the CEO of Surefire, LLC, John Matthews, has been manufacturing what he refers to as “cool science.” Luckily, this cool science has proven to be an invaluable resource for the military because Matthews is dedicated to making products with the best technology available.
“John Matthews, over the last 40 years, has dedicated his career to developing the illumination tools necessary for law enforcement and military to go out and do their jobs safer and better,” said Sean Clemence of Surefire. “Surefire will go out of its way to make sure that the military has the right equipment, even if it costs us extra time and expense above and beyond what we had originally specified. When we’re designing these products, we’re designing them with the military and law enforcement in mind to make sure they can endure extreme abuse because these people depend on their equipment for their lives.”
Because of the extra mile that Surefire is willing to go for its clients, the military has access to tools that are so durable that they are perfect for the battlefield. The company has received feedback from customers about its products surviving being dropped from over 100 feet, being run over by 5-ton trucks, and IED explosions. In addition, Surefire’s products give users non-lethal force that will stop assailants in their tracks without the need to physically harm them.
Among Surefire’s products that the military is currently using are the E2D Executive Defender (a compact tactical flashlight that can impair someone’s night-adapted vision, therefore disorienting the person), and the HellFighter (a tough, versatile high-intensity discharge light that can be mounted on a .50 caliber. It is water resistant and can be used with night vision equipment, as well as for looking through smoke and dust).
XENONICS
For over 10 years, Xenonics Holdings Inc. has been selling illumination products designed for the military’s use. Chuck Hunter, the company’s CEO and a former Navy fighter pilot, said that illumination products are especially important now because of the way the military currently needs to operate.
“The U.S. military functions at night now. That’s one of our key advantages,” said Hunter. “Our systems give you that key advantage, whether it’s in the white light spectrum or the infrared spectrum.”
The main product that Xenonics manufactures for use in the white light spectrum (for overt use) and the infrared spectrum (when you need to go undetected) is the NightHunter.
The lights come in three different models: NightHunter I, NightHunter II, and the NightHunter ext. The original Night- Hunter is 9.7 pounds and is designed for both handheld use and for mounting atop vehicles, boards or helicopters. The product, which is being used in Iraq and Afghanistan, gives the user the ability to detect a man-sized target from over a mile away, or stop people within 800 yards with just a flash of the light. NightHunter II is a lighter, handheld version of the product, weighing 4.4 pounds. This light includes an extended battery life, giving the user the ability to recharge quickly (within two hours). Night- Hunter ext weighs 5.5 pounds and is the version of the product that is designed for fixed mounted applications on vehicles, helicopters and boats, and is waterproof. All three versions give the user the option to attach a filter that will tailor light output, so you can choose the infrared capabilities when you need a low-light application or the ultraviolet option when you need a fluorescent application.
Hunter said a feature that helps make the NightHunter so powerful is its beam, which is always in focus—even after you change the batteries—giving the user precious time to concentrate on other things.
“That beam is always focused no matter what you do. I can replace the bulb in the field in less than two minutes and it will still be focused,” he said. “A lot of the competition doesn’t have a field replaceable bulb—you have to ship the unit back to the factory so they can change it and send it back to you—and the one’s that do make it a multiple hour evolution of trying to refocus.”
Because of these features, about 5,000 NightHunters and NightHunter IIs have been ordered by the Army since 2003. ♦