# Emergency "space" blanket vs. thermal sights



## Jarnhamar (10 May 2012)

Will one of those emergency "space blankets" Block someone's heat signature if viewed through a
Thermal scope?

What kind of return would someone get looking through thermals at someone with one of those blankets wrapped around them?  Would it come across as an obvious piece of dead space?


----------



## aesop081 (10 May 2012)

ObedientiaZelum said:
			
		

> obvious



Modern IR sensors can differentiate between things 1 millionth of a degree different in temperature.

A "space blanket" just makes you look silly.


----------



## Jarnhamar (10 May 2012)

I wonder if taping it to the inside of the new ranger blanket will at least break up the heat signature a little.


----------



## aesop081 (10 May 2012)

ObedientiaZelum said:
			
		

> I wonder if taping it to the inside of the new ranger blanket will at least break up the heat signature a little.



PM inbound


----------



## Good2Golf (10 May 2012)

CDN Aviator, I though currently available information puts systems running MRTDs in the 0.05-0.10 C/K range?

OZ, if you don't cover you brain-housing group as well, a blanket will make your BHG just that much more obvious to the TI operator.  If you want to try it, face the shinier side of the blanket inwards.

Cheers
G2G


----------



## dapaterson (10 May 2012)

Keep in mind that the "space blankets" are generally mylar - plastic, in other words.  Covering your face with plastic = why we don't let kids play with plastic bags.


----------



## Good2Golf (10 May 2012)

dapaterson said:
			
		

> Keep in mind that the "space blankets" are generally mylar - plastic, in other words.  Covering your face with plastic = why we don't let kids play with plastic bags.



DOH!  Now you went and spoiled the Darwin Functionality Test, DAP...


----------



## GAP (10 May 2012)

Shoot!!



I thought we had our very own candidate.......


----------



## Jarnhamar (10 May 2012)

I just tested it out with a ranger blanket space blanket and thermal weapon sight.  Pretty positive results. I'll try and capture some pics for comparison when I get a chance.


----------



## Montealer10 (10 May 2012)

I'd love to see the results.


----------



## Colin Parkinson (10 May 2012)

Image through a military thermal sight might be Opsec. Using a civilian sight would not be an issue.


----------



## Loachman (23 May 2012)

Positively identifying heat sources as human while they were immobile, squatting, and wrapped in man-blankies was a challenge with the Sperwer IR system.

I only picked up one bunch of four on a chilly December night because they were perfectly evenly spaced in a dead-straight line parallel to a major paved road. The individual blobs did not, by themselves, stand out. They appeared cooler than normal people, like a farmer stepping out of his compound to launch a midnight Liberal in his field, or wild animals, and I'd not have given them a second look had they arranged themselves randomly. I still could not say for certain that they were anything of real interest until one got up to talk to a guy hiding behind a tree some distance away.

Yes, it was an older and much more French system than what is available now, but any camouflage in any part of the spectrum is better than none at all.

One does not have to be completely hidden from view. Looking completely unimportant is adequate. We used coloured plastic sheet and woven tarps (white, blue, orange etcetera) in urban or agricultural settings in Germany to great effect, often only covering parts of vehicles. This was much better than cam nets, as everybody looks for those while dismissing "farm machinery", "haystacks", and "woodpiles" because no military person in their right mind would hide under bright orange. We would even have our neighbouring Luftwaffe RF4E Recce Phantom guys check out our position at least once per Fallex, and they never detected any of our stuff under plastic, even when it was parked right out in the open.

Don't look like a human shape, don't move, look a little cooler. There's no guarantee that you still won't be spotted, but there are generally a lot of warmish-looking blobs around. Shrubbery can help, too.


----------



## Good2Golf (24 May 2012)

Loachman said:
			
		

> ...Shrubbery can help, too.



Actually, two shrubberies would be better.  Then you could have a split-level effect...and a path.


----------



## OldSolduer (24 May 2012)

Good2Golf said:
			
		

> Actually, two shrubberies would be better.  Then you could have a split-level effect...and a path.



I quite agree.


----------



## cupper (24 May 2012)

Good2Golf said:
			
		

> Actually, two shrubberies would be better.  Then you could have a split-level effect...and a path.



 :rofl:

Oh Good Lord! It's one of those nights.


----------



## Tank Troll (26 May 2012)

The cam blankets we get issued work well in breaking up a thermal outline. I remember having the different coloured tarps in germany also, they fooled our American friends very nicely. They were quite surprised when a troop of tanks rolled out and attacked their Bradly company then disappeared just as quick.

One other thought that green plastic stuff that comes in rolls that is used to replace hessian, doesn't work to hide thermal, the old FLIR on the coyote surveillance system can detect body heat behind it.


----------



## TN2IC (28 May 2012)

I do recall a book The Bear Went Over The Other Side of The Mountain, stating something along the lines of using a wool blanket. Or may be I heard it else where. It's been a while since I read it. If it doesn't have it in there, it's still a good read. It's all about the Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War.

Enjoy the read.
Regards,
Macey


----------



## xxmixkexx (4 Jul 2012)

I have seen that you can use what im pretty sure was a  large piece of copper as a shield. It just acted as a mirror.  I dont know if this works in a real world situation tho.


----------



## Fishbone Jones (4 Jul 2012)

xxmixkexx said:
			
		

> I have seen that you can use what im pretty sure was a  large piece of copper as a shield. It just acted as a mirror.  I dont know if this works in a real world situation tho.



I think that was tinfoil, not copper.


----------



## aesop081 (4 Jul 2012)

xxmixkexx said:
			
		

> It just acted as a mirror.



And that is supposed to accomplish what ?

Other than looking out of place, therefore attracting attention ?


----------

