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Vampire
Free Worlds League
Lieutenant Colonel
Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 917
Location: Spain
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 Posted: 27-Mar-2003 13:27 Post subject: Odd thingie on Allied vehicles question |
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Does anybody know what are those panels looking like a window shutter on the sides of vehicles? I've seen them on everything from a Humvee to tanks.. could it be an IFF device? a radar reflector or some IR emitting device so vehicles can be identified on thermal sights to avoid "friendly fire" incidents? Just curious
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Alexander
Heavy Horse Merc Brigade
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Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
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Location: Canada
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| Posted: 27-Mar-2003 16:56 Post subject: RE: Odd thingie on Allied vehicles question |
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They're supposed to be some sort of identification panel, like the stripes on Allied planes in WWII. I'm sure exactly how they work, but... there's a lot of stuff I don't know.
Alexander
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GeoAvanti
Federated Suns
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| Posted: 27-Mar-2003 17:10 Post subject: RE: Odd thingie on Allied vehicles question |
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The tanker doesn't know whats on his tank!? Tsk, tsk, tsk...
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Alexander
Heavy Horse Merc Brigade
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Location: Canada
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| Posted: 27-Mar-2003 17:46 Post subject: RE: Odd thingie on Allied vehicles question |
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It ain't my tank. I'm still in the snow!... (until monday.)
Alexander
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Sir Henry
Team Bansai
Senior Tech Specialist
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
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Location: United States
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| Posted: 27-Mar-2003 20:30 Post subject: RE: Odd thingie on Allied vehicles question |
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Be Happy yon Tanker, for things are about to heat up..... 
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Sir Henry
A Dragon in the disguise of a bunny, is still a Dragon.
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Vampire
Free Worlds League
Lieutenant Colonel
Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
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Location: Spain
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| Posted: 29-Mar-2003 15:38 Post subject: RE: Odd thingie on Allied vehicles question |
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Well, I was right it's an IR recognition panel, apparently works by being *colder* than the heat signature of the vehicle
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Vampire
Free Worlds League
Lieutenant Colonel
Joined: 05-Feb-2002 00:00
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Location: Spain
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| Posted: 01-Apr-2003 12:54 Post subject: RE: Odd thingie on Allied vehicles question |
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I was given this answer that goes into more detail:
An answer on the newsgroup sci.military.moderated was that the shutters are, indeed, an IFF system.
They sound fairly simple, too. The idea is that (even in the desert) vehicle bodies are relatively warm. The "shutters" are spaced some distance from the body and can have air flow around them - they're cool in comparison to the body. Thus vehicles end up with fairly distinctive cool spots (to thermographic imagers).
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