Specialty lighting has jobs that ordinary bulbs can't do. Military aircrews, vehicle crews and sailors work at night with night vision goggles, and standard cockpit, cabin and cargo lights would wash out their goggles and give away their position. Night-vision-compatible lights fix this by filtering their output to colors and wavelengths that goggles ignore. Infrared lights add covert signals that only goggle wearers can see. These lights also have to survive vibration, shock, salt spray and extreme temperatures for years.
Blue Wolf designs and builds this kind of lighting in Idaho. It makes map, dome, deck, step and crew lights, plus infrared convoy and tail lights, from machined aluminum, and says all of its products are made in the USA. Its lights fly and drive with major defense manufacturers and the US Coast Guard. Its catalog of NVIS and infrared lights also offers standard white light for general use.
See also flashlights, night vision, batteries and electronic components.
Blue Wolf designs and makes rugged LED lighting for military aircraft, ground vehicles and ships, and for border patrol, law enforcement and commercial customers. Its night-vision-compatible (NVIS/NVG) lights meet MIL-STD-3009 and include dual-mode map lights on flexible goosenecks, round and rectangular dome lights, deck, step and blackout crew lights, and infrared convoy signature and brake/tail lights for covert operations. It also makes remote dimming units, AC-to-DC diode blocks and portable NVG lighting kits, and its lights come in white, NVIS white, NVG green, red, blue and infrared. Its customers have included General Dynamics, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Airbus and Textron, and the US Coast Guard approved its NVIS dome light for its mission aircraft.
Blue Wolf was founded in 2007 and says all of its products are made in the USA. Its lights are precision-engineered from machined aluminum and tested in-house. The company also offers engineering and contract manufacturing for other businesses, including printed circuit board design and low-volume assembly, mechanical and electrical design, firmware, CNC machining and prototyping. Its night-vision-compatible lighting was named Commercialized Innovation of the Year at the 2016 Idaho Innovation Awards.
Made in: Garden City (Boise area), ID (design, circuit-board assembly, CNC machining, assembly and testing).
Source: Blue Wolf, 2024 · Blue Wolf NVIS lighting, 2024 · Military Systems & Technology, 2016, checked 10/2026
Garden City, ID
Lighting makers by state
- Idaho: Blue Wolf (Garden City), NVIS, night-vision-compatible and infrared LED lighting for aircraft, vehicles and ships
Types of specialty lighting
NVIS lighting (Night Vision Imaging System) uses filtered LEDs that meet MIL-STD-3009, so crews can read instruments and work in cabins without blinding their goggles.
NVG green and NVIS white are the standard compatible colors. Green is used for instrument and crew lighting, and NVIS white for cabin and cargo areas.
Infrared lights are invisible to the naked eye but bright through night vision. They're used for convoy signature lights, blackout brake lights and covert marking.
Dual-mode lights combine normal white light and NVIS or infrared in one fixture, so crews can switch between day and night operations.
Map, dome, step and deck lights are task lights for crew stations, cabins, cargo bays, vehicle steps and ship decks, usually with full dimming.
Choosing specialty lighting
- Confirm the standard. Military night-vision work usually calls for MIL-STD-3009 compliance and the right NVIS class and color.
- Match the power system. Most military vehicles and aircraft run on 28-volt DC, and older AC circuits may need converters.
- Check dimming and compatibility when mixing new LED fixtures with older incandescent circuits.
- Look at durability. Machined aluminum housings, sealed electronics and vibration and temperature ratings matter on aircraft, vehicles and ships.
- For government purchases, look for National Stock Numbers, GSA availability and CAGE-registered suppliers.
Reading "Made in USA" on lighting
Under FTC rules, an unqualified "Made in USA" claim means all or virtually all of the product is made here. LED chips themselves are mostly made overseas, so many American-built lights include imported LEDs even when the housings, circuit boards and final assembly are done in the US. Government buyers may also follow the Buy American Act or defense sourcing rules, which use their own tests. When origin matters, ask the maker where its housings and circuit boards are made and where the LEDs come from.
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