FAS | Military | DOD 101 | Systems | Land Warfare |||| Index | Search | Join FAS


Budd Light

The Budd Light is a pulsed IR beacon that is used as an aid for vehicles and personnel identification and for marking obstacles, passage points, helipads, and minefields. It can be attached to military vehicles or can be carried by individual soldiers as a command and control device when operating at night. It can also be sued as a means for ground troops to signal air support, giving a specific location of friendly troops, and are useful to specialized units, such as pathfinders, for marking of pickup, drop, or landing zones.

The Budd Light consist of two simultaneously pulsing LEDs emitting in the near - IR range, peaking around 880nm. All circuitry, except the battery contacts, is enclosed in a rubber casing. The device is powered by a 9V alkaline battery. Battery life is about eight hours. Light emitted from the LEDs can be seen by any image intensifier to include night vision goggles. The pulse width is 400ms and the pulse rate is one pulse every two seconds. With the battery attached, it measures 3/4"x1"x2" and weighs about two ounces. The LED IR emission is directional with dispersion angle of about 40 degrees. Budd Light is not visible through the Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR).

The National Stock Number (NSN) is 5855-01-361-8987


Sources and Resources



FAS | Military | DOD 101 | Systems | Land Warfare |||| Index | Search | Join FAS

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/budd-light.htm
Maintained by Robert Sherman
Originally created by John Pike
Updated Saturday, September 12, 1998 6:35:55 AM