Features and Benefits
- Covert night recognition: the decal shows brightly through night vision under IR illumination, while by day it keeps the vehicle’s own look.
- Lower fratricide risk: crews and dismounts can confirm a friendly vehicle at stand-off range, before a weapon is raised.
- Prismatic retroreflection: the metallised prismatic base returns IR light towards its source, so the mark is brightest for the observer holding the illuminator.
- Passive marking: no wiring, battery or emitter to install, switch on or fail, and nothing that transmits unless someone illuminates it.
- Built for vehicle duty: the matte diffuse pattern and clear abrasion-resistant coating keep the mark readable in aggressive operational environments.
- Marking that changes with the mission: removable mountings let a unit swap or remove markings between tasks without repainting.
- Unit and vehicle coding: letters, numbers and symbols turn a general friendly mark into a specific vehicle or call sign.
What is Infrared?
Infrared (IR) light is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths slightly longer than visible red light, from 780 nm to 1 mm. Invisible to the human eye, it can be detected with night vision devices that use image intensification or thermal imaging.
Image intensifiers amplify visible and near-infrared light into a brighter image. Many users pair them with an infrared illuminator, which lights the scene while remaining invisible to the naked eye. That illuminated light is what an IR reflective decal sends back to the goggle.
Thermal imaging works differently: it detects infrared radiation emitted by objects, separating warm, living objects from their cooler surroundings. Marking for thermal sights is a separate task within military infrared, alongside illumination, aiming and convoy driving.
Specifications
| Description | Inverted V Infrared Reflective Vehicle Decals |
| Wavelength Compatibility | NIR, SWIR, MWIR, LWIR, and FUSION |
| IR Transmission | >70% at 835nm |
| Visibility Range | 800 meters |
| Custom Options | Size, shape, colors, letters, numbers, or symbols |
| Mounting Options | Magnetic, adhesive, velcro, hook, and loop |
Applications and Customization for Covert Vehicle Identification
The Inverted V Infrared Reflective Vehicle Decals are made for covert vehicle identification. They provide a high-intensity infrared signature that enables accurate identification at distances over 800 metres through a PVS-14 night vision device.
The inverted V dates from Operation Desert Storm, when ARCENT adopted it for a theatre-wide vehicle marking procedure because Arab allies could read it as the number eight. The same chevron on these decals is recognised at a glance through a goggle.
They can be customised in shape, size, colour and material, including vehicle camouflage patterns, national flags or service insignia, so they blend with the vehicle’s appearance in daylight. In a convoy moving on goggles, the IR driving lights of the vehicle behind can act as the IR source for the decal ahead.
Available configurations include self-adhesive vehicle V’s, adjustable neoprene armbands and double-sided hanging IR reflectors, for military, security and police forces worldwide.
Product Range
The product range includes a variety of IR reflective items for tactical use:
- Self-Adhesive Vehicle V’s
- Adjustable Neoprene Armbands
- Double-Sided Hanging IR Reflectors
- Blood Group Patches
- Uniform Patches and Insignia
- Dual ID Products
- Helmet Schims
- Antenna Markers
These products feature full-colour surface detail that replicates national flags or service insignia with high accuracy. The optical patterning technique gives a full infrared reflective signature, so the decals serve both day and night operations. All items can be customised in shape, size, colour and material.
Passive Thermal Solutions for Covert Operations
The Inverted V decals are part of a broader range of passive solutions designed for covert vehicle and personal identification. Their military-grade reflective material returns incoming IR light to the night vision device, giving a bright, clear image of the mark.
That matters wherever military and security units must identify each other quickly and accurately. Where friendly forces also observe through thermal sights, the range adds thermal identification equipment: passive material that shows as a cold area against a warm hull.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the IR reflective vehicle decals can be removed cleanly without residue, though they are designed for long-term adhesion. Where markings change between tasks, magnetic or hook-and-loop mounting avoids removing an adhesive decal at all.
Yes, they are fully waterproof and UV-resistant, and maintain their clarity even after power-wash cleaning.
Yes, they reflect strongly in infrared and remain visible in daylight. The Inverted V decals look brightest when the goggle sits close to the IR source. Strong ambient light reduces the contrast: US Army lessons from Operation Just Cause noted that ambient light in built-up areas degraded IR reflective glint tape.
Yes, we offer custom sizes and designs upon request. Contact us with your requirements: the shape (an inverted V or another symbol), size, colours or flag, any letters or numbers, the mounting method and the number of vehicles to mark.
