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So why is it no longer in use? Seems to me that emitting an extremely bright flashing light is a great way to disorientate enemy infantry in close quarter comba
by Avalaxy 11y ago
So why is it no longer in use? Seems to me that emitting an extremely bright flashing light is a great way to disorientate enemy infantry in close quarter combat scenarios.
- Tuna-Fish 11y agoBlinding flashes of light are widely used by infantry forces of several states, including the US, in the form of flashbangs[1]. They are much smaller and cheaper than a searchlight system mounted on a tank, and being deployed as a hand grenade allows their use indoors. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stun_grenade https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stun_grenade
- Avalaxy 11y agoI'm aware. I was specifically talking about vehicles, but I see that I didn't include that information in my previous post. I think with present day technology the lights could be a lot smaller than searchlights no?
- jasonwatkinspdx 11y agoI think now the preference is to use night vision, IR sensors or the like and remain as concealed as possible.
- karlkatzke 11y agoFrom the linked wikipedia article: "There was brief interest in resurrecting a CDL on M4 Sherman design (T52) that had started in 1944 but it was recognized that four battalions could be fitted with normal searchlights for the cost of a single CDL tank." Which sounds like a good lesson in right-sizing a task.
- lifeformed 11y agoI wonder if it's possible to create an extremely disorienting strobe system, that an operator would carry around, but the operator has special optics that cancel out the strobe's effects. Maybe his goggles are special night vision ones that have a framerate synchronized with the strobe, so it looks like it's always light (or dark).
- TeMPOraL 11y agoMaybe add a seizure-inducing harmonic to the light pattern for good measure.