The tiny plastic spheres burst in through the doorway, spinning
across the concrete floor with a sound like billiard balls on tile. The
blindingly bright light that sprang from the balls flickered wildly
about the room, like a disco gone mad. The surprised defenders took a
startled step back, their attention diverted for a fatal second by the
madly-rolling lights. That second was all the attackers needed.
Following in upon the heels of their distracters, they moved with swift
precision. The air was filled with the chatter of weapon’s fire.
“HIT” yelled the defenders, signaling the victory of the attacking force . . .
Diversionary devices or “DD grenades” have long been a part of forced-entry tactics. Commonly known flash-bangs, they emit a several million candle-power flash and a blast of sound over 150db, causing disorientation and confusion. For obvious reasons, always using real flash-bangs is a near impossibility. They are simply too powerful; while non-lethal, they can cause hearing and retinal damage and burns, and they can even start fires. While several manufacturers make DD simulators, which produce a lower level of noise, none of them feature a visual distraction. We may have “bang”, but until now we have been missing the “flash”
Enter Brite-Strike Technologies of Kingston, Massachusetts, a manufacturer of Tactical Illumination Products (www.brite-strike.com). Founded by a pair of police officers, Brite-Strike specializes in tactical lighting designed for law-enforcement and civilian security needs. Among their products are Tactical Balls. Marketed as RID3 (Rolling - Illumination – Distraction – Disorientation – Device), these small spheres feature a bright LED bulb and are designed to be rolled into a target area. Their irregular and shifting light output will distract and disorient a target, as well as provide a low level of illumination to an otherwise dark area prior to entry. According to Brite-Strike, Tactical Balls are intended to used in scenarios where conventional flash-bangs would be too dangerous, such as in a hostage situation or for training exercises. Brite-Strike’s Tactical Balls offer a visual distraction capability so lacking in the DD grenade simulators currently available.
Tactical Balls are sold in packs of three, in a nylon fabric carrying case, at an MSPR of $60 (Brite-Strike, at the time of publication, is offering an introductory price of $40). The Balls themselves are about 1 ½” in diameter, made of a hard gloss-black plastic. One face of the Tactical Ball is a hard plastic lens, shielding a pair of Luxeon LED bulbs. On the other side of the sphere, opposite the lens, is an on/off button under a rubberized cover. The switch is surrounded by a ring of indentations, for ease of orientation in the dark and to facilitate battery removal.
Upon first examination of the Tactical Balls, they appear to be high-quality equipment. They feel solid. The author has used his set on a variety of hard surfaces, including concrete, without any resulting damage. The switch features a very positive action, with about an 1/8” of travel before engagement, and makes a distinctly audible “click”. The switch is very easy to locate by feel in the dark; the ring of indentations surrounding the switch makes this all the more true.
Each Tactical Ball is powered by a pair of CR2032 Lithium button-cell batteries, accessible by screwing off the switch-side half of the Ball. The ring of indentations surrounding the switch facilitates the removal of this lid. While deliberate removal of the battery compartment lid was easy, it shows no inclination to loosen on its own, despite heavy use. Brite-Strike claims a 20 hour battery life for the Tactical Balls. Due to the brief usage patterns of these devices in scenarios, the author has not yet exhausted the initially provided batteries.
The case provided with the Tactical Balls appears as sturdy as the little illumination devices themselves. Made of nylon-fabric, the 2”x 2”x 4” pouch holds the Balls in a vertical stack. The flap-type lid closes firmly with Velcro, and sports a 2” pull-tab for ease of opening in the dark or with gloves. The case can attach to a belt, webbing, or MOLLE gear with a sturdy plastic clip on the rear, capable of taking up to a 1 1/4” belt and featuring a “retention lip” on its lower inside, to prevent accidental removal. The clip rotates 90 degrees left or right, with stiff detents at 30 and 60 degrees, to allow a variety of vertical, horizontal, or diagonal mounting.
In use, the Tactical Balls are nicely effective. The white Luxeon LEDs put out greater than 13,000 MCD of light and leave a vivid afterglow in the target’s vision even in broad daylight. When rolled across a hard surface, the Tactical Balls spin wildly, producing a “strobe” effect as the lens-side rotates about. The Balls tend to scatter as well, causing an opponent’s attention to be pulled in three directions simultaneously. The effect on an unsuspecting target is quite startling. The Balls roll effortlessly across both hard flooring and carpet. While not nearly as alarming or disorientating as a real DD device, the Tactical Balls easily create enough distraction to allow an effective entry. A nice side-effect of the Tactical Balls light is illuminating the area enough to facilitate target acquisition.
Tactical Balls provide a great deal of intriguing possibilities. Using several sets simultaneously, especially by attackers from several different directions, should prove to be extremely effective. They could also be thrown in a different direction than the incoming attack, focusing the defenders’ attention in the wrong direction. A set of Tactical Balls could be tossed in together with a DD bang simulator, providing both visual and auditory distraction. The uses of Tactical Balls seem limited only to one’s imagination.
There are, however, some downsides to these nifty little devices. They are difficult to activate stealthily unless one is completely shielded from view. Each Ball must be individually turned on before use, holding down the button to prevent premature light. If using all three Balls at once, this is difficult to do. They are similarly difficult to hold all 3 in the hand in the pre-set position . If a user is standing outside an open doorway or other partial cover, the light may be seen before the Balls are put into action, possibly giving away the user’s presence. Also, while the author had no troubles holding all three Tactical Balls in one hand, users with small hands may have difficulties. Obviously, the Tactical Balls will not roll on a grassy or uneven outdoor surface. Lastly, though tough, Tactical Balls are not indestructible. They can be broken, though the author has not tested any to destruction (yet!). On the whole, though, these are minor drawbacks, easily overcome with a bit of practice or ingenuity.
Brite-Strike has a very interesting and useful product with the Tactical Balls. Designed for law-enforcement, they offer operators, for perhaps the first time, a truly usable and useful visual distraction device as an alternative to Flash Bangs. We’ve had the non pyro “bang”; now, thanks to Brite-Strike, we have the “flash” too!
- Ron “Tuthmose” Pfeiffer
- END ADM
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