Please explain Combat Identification Panels

Modeling Subjects Armor
1

I got out of the military in '93. We never had CIP’s on our vehicles. How exactly do they work? What are they made of? Does every vehicle need them?
Any good brief synopsis will do. I know it may seem like a dumb question, but I feel dumber NOT knowing.

Thanks,
-60

2

They are made out of lovered aluminum sheet. They stay cooler than the rest of the vehicle that they are attached to and appear as a cold spot in thermal night sights. Every vehicle should have them to ID it as a friendly vehicle. The idea is that all friendlies have them and they can be identified to help reduce friendly-fire incidents. They are pretty effective, yet simple.

3

Thanks, Gino. I knew they were to help prevent “friendly” fire incidents, but you answered all the other questions I had. Something so simple.
Wonder why the opfor’s didn’t try them?

Thanks, again.
-60

4

The theory works specifically on thermal imagers. Opfor vehicles (i.e Former Soviet Block) until recently did not have thermal imagers on their vehicles, so it would have been pointless.

NTM

5

I remember when the 3rd Bde 1st Cav started testing them in 94-95. It was probably around 1996 or so when all the units in 1st Cav started mounting them. Before that I remember we tried using an IR whoopie light mounted on the back of the turret. It wasn’t visible in thermal sights though but you could see it in NODs though.