‘Friendly Fire’ Gadgetry Set for Inspection

A year after “friendly fire” claimed the lives of 44 allied servicemen in the Persian Gulf War, some top military brass will gather at an Army test range in Texas today for demonstrations of new equipment that they hope will prevent such deadly accidents in future wars.

Prominent among the new gadgetry is a “thermal beacon” that would be mounted on tanks to help friendly vehicles and aircraft distinguish them from foes. Pentagon officials said an Army arsenal in Pennsylvania is building 300 of the beacons, which are mounted atop aluminum poles, for deployment this fall on the vehicles of the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division--one of the nation’s rapid reaction tank units.

The demonstration at Ft. Bliss is to be the military leaders’ first formal progress report since they established the Task Force on Combat Identification in May, 1991.

Mistaken attacks on friendly forces accounted for about one-fourth of the allied deaths in the war, casting a cloud over the overwhelming military victory and convincing military officials that one of the chief lessons in the war was the need to improve battlefield identification.

The challenge unleashed new competition in the defense industry. “They obviously see a problem--a growing submarket in the midst of decline,” said Capt. Paul D. Horne, who is reviewing work in the area for the Army’s top brass. “This is an inventor’s dream. There are a lot of guys out there with gizmos to offer.”

The thermal beacon is one of those gizmos. Early versions of the device would be turned on by soldiers as their vehicles maneuver close to potential adversaries. It would emit a strobelike signal visible only through infrared night-vision glasses, which are in wide use by U.S. tank crews.

Among the other gadgets being rushed to soldiers in the field are small battery-run flashlights which broadcast a signal that can be seen by U.S. soldiers wearing night-vision glasses.