Please help me ID an Army-issue Strobe Light from 1980s

[GHEN]

When I was in the Army (1985 - 1989) we were issued a strobe light that had a screw-in battery.

If I remember correctly it has a rubber covered button on top, next to the lamp (I could be wrong about that). Does anyone know what this light is, and where to find it?

Thanks,

GHEN

 

[Size15's]

Re: Please help me ID an Amy-issue Strobe Light from 1980s

I've edited the title of the post so it better reflects the help you would like.
I'm also moving this to the LED forum.
Al

 

[r0b0r]

Re: Please help me ID an Amy-issue Strobe Light from 1980s

But if it were strobe, isn't the chance it's a xenon flashlamp style doodad?

LED's in late 80s weren't really strobeworthy...

 

[Size15's]

Re: Please help me ID an Amy-issue Strobe Light from 1980s

Good point! I'll move it back!!
(sorry!)

 

[murphquake]

Re: Please help me ID an Amy-issue Strobe Light from 1980s

Sounds like an SDU5E. Now there are aftermarket battery adapters that allow use of standard battery sizes with them instead of the gov't type. They've been superseded by the MS2000M. HTH!
-bill

 

[Flash_Gordon]

Re: Please help me ID an Amy-issue Strobe Light from 1980s

Here is a nice reference site on the SDU-5/E .

Mark

 

[GHEN]

Re: Please help me ID an Amy-issue Strobe Light from 1980s

Thanks, the SDU-5/E is what I was looking for.

 

[jclarksnakes]

Re: Please help me ID an Amy-issue Strobe Light from 1980s

...I have an old SDU-5/E around here somewhere. I could not find it looking today and I am sure the battery must be long dead. I think they were first purchased by the Army sometime during the 70s and were still issued with the aviation survival vest when I retired in 1993. I believe they have been replaced with a new strobe with more features since then. I went through Army Aviation Life Support Equipment School in 1983 and learned all the details on the strobe but have forgotten most all of them. We carried them in our survival vests but always had spares around. Prior to becoming night vision goggle qualified I would often give one of my spares to supported units at premission briefings so they could use them to flash us if we were having trouble finding their pickup zones.
JC
CW4, USA (retired)

 

[GHEN]

They were given to us to be able to find one another on the drop zone if the jump went "not as planned".


Once we jumped with the Canadians and we were told to use our strobes after landing (mass tactical jump). What we didn't know was that the Canadians also had strobes and once we fired ours up, they did too! It looked like Times Square and we spent hours trying to find our fellow Americans.