Weird looking flood light on soldier helmet, what is it?

[AlexGT]

Hello everyone, I was looking at this video with a cool rotor glow effect but I have never seen the headlamps the army are using, what are those???

Are those glow tubes?

Thanks!
AlexGT

https://www.liveleak.com/ll_embed?f=f3dad5d936cd

[AlexGT]

[Rob_K]

not a light but glow-sticks

[AlexGT]

Maybe its a camera effect but they seem pretty bright and the tint looks warm, I wonder who makes them?

[Lexel]

As those solders all wear Nightvision I guess they are IR glowsticks or light to avoid friendly fire. but are not visible for normal enemies

[CRX]

I was just wondering why they would want lights on their heads.

[leaftye]

To avoid friendly fire.

Not all battlefield ID methods are so high-tech. During Operation Desert Storm, ground troops wore infrared beacons known as Darpa lights and Budd lights, which were visible to anyone with night-vision goggles at up to 5 miles. (This method is less useful now that night-vision technology has become more available to enemy forces.) Troops also signal their allegiance using glow sticks or thermal tape arranged in different shapes. During the first Gulf War, for example, coalition forces taped a “V” onto their uniforms.

How do soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan avoid friendly fire?