Surefire LED Lights and Military Contracts?

I owned several LED Surefire lights and still do own several.
Was wondering if the Military has a contract with Surefire or not?
I always wondered if it was just for marketing purposes.

Its nice to have it in the back of my mind that I own a produce that is "approved" for military use.
Ok, maybe not all Surefire lights are approved for military use, but still, nice to know if Surefire really has a contract with the military.

I think "selected" would be a more appropriate term in this context and yes, SureFire has military contracts in the US as well as other countries.

Yes, that's what I meant, by not all Surefire lights are listed as "approved" for use in the military. Only selected ones especially if they have the NSN Numbers like from the link below.

http://www.surefire.com/nsn_ordering


Thanks

Yes, Surefire has some contracts in place with the military. If they didn't, I don't think they would have such a vast selection of weapon lights. Take the Surefire M952V for example. Normal civilians would have no use for that rail mounted with with adjustable LED and Infrared output.

880arm said:

I think "selected" would be a more appropriate term in this context and yes, SureFire has military contracts in the US as well as other countries.

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Thats interesting, So is it limited to countries under NATO? Are they the same models as the US receives?

I was under the impression that USA Manufactured Military equipment was exclusively for our Military only.

ForrestChump said:

Thats interesting, So is it limited to countries under NATO? Are they the same models as the US receives?

I was under the impression that USA Manufactured Military equipment was exclusively for our Military only.

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Sales of equipment listed on the ITAR require an export permit. Depending on how it's coded, could require a permit otherwise they would just handle the sale like any other item.

The Hellfighter and any other lights containing IR filters require a permit. Basic led and incan lights don't.

Ok, for example, does the Surefire LX2 Lumamax light require a permit or not?
I can see it does indeed have an NSN code on Surefire's website.

In other words, does this mean that my LX2 light is approved for military use?

itsonlyme said:

Ok, for example, does the Surefire LX2 Lumamax light require a permit or not?
I can see it does indeed have an NSN code on Surefire's website.

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The NSN code means nothing to whether or not the item is listed on the ITAR.

The NSN is only the National Stock Number. This items may be purchased by any unit of the government not just the military.

So were do I have to go to find out if the LX2 is approved for military usage or not?
Or does someone know out here if the LX2 is actually approved for military use?
Where is this ITAR list directory?

I may be misunderstanding your question but I don't know of any single list of "approved" items for military use, particularly flashlights. Aside from what they are issued, individuals are free to purchase their own equipment (unfortunately many have to do this). In addition some units may go outside normal channels to purchase mission specific gear.

You can think of the NSN list as being stuff that the military (or government) keeps "in stock" or maintains a readily available source. As someone else mentioned this is a list that any government agency can order from and be assured of receiving a consistent product that likely meets some established specifications.

Likewise, ITAR has nothing to do with a product being "approved" for the military. ITAR is a set of restrictions to restrict the types of technology that can be exported or sold to foreign nationals. Brand XYZ that has no relationship at all with the military can produce an item that falls under the ITAR restrictions.