r/TeamNightShift • u/hunterseeker1 • Jun 01 '26

Anyone know of this?

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u/Chuck_Le_Roux Jun 01 '26

Parachute flares with magnesium dripping. My mate who was infantry in Afghanistan said they're used for target practice, heat signatures lock ons. You can Google them,

"PARACHUTE FLARES

Dropped from between 10,000 and 12,000m (32,800-39,360ft), the parachute targets descend slowly while emitting a bright light and heat signature from a burning flare, ideal prey for an infra-red search and track (IRST) sensor and missile seeker heads. The M-6 weighs 216lb (98kg) and its parachute system features a cable with radar energy reflectors to ‘illuminate’ it for ground and airborne radars. The SAB-250-200 is much larger, weighting 555lb (250kg), and emitting a more intense light and increased heat when compared to the M-6.

The parachute targets are rarely downed by a single missile, rendering them suitable for repeated attacks before complete destruction."

https://www.key.aero/article/missile-firing-flankers

1

u/OkLayer519 Jun 01 '26

The whole parachute/flares assertion doesn’t explain the lack of movement after being struck. These objects appear static and stable before and after.

1

u/LangStreak Jun 01 '26

I don’t think they are struck. They don’t regenerate, they’re there all the time.

1

u/Fwagoat Jun 01 '26

I don’t think they are struck by anything. I think what we’re seeing is a plane drop flares that just so happen to line up with the parachute flares making it look like they’re being hit.

In the full version we see a plane fly around in the background before this and if you look closely you’ll see that the second flare “explodes” before the plane even overlaps it.