Fulton MX991/U Flashlight
The MX-991/U Flashlight (aka GI Flashlight, Army flashlight, or Moonbeam[1]) is a right-angle-head flashlight developed from the TL-122 military flashlight series of 1937-1944 and is a development of the MX-99/U flashlight issued in 1963. Produced since the Vietnam era, the MX-991/U has been made by various contractors over the years, including GT Price, Bright Star,[2] and Fulton Industries.[3] MX-991/U flashlights currently issued to the United States Army and United States Marines are produced by Fulton Industries.
Just prior to World War II, a standard 90-degree battery-operated flashlight was adopted for U.S. Army use, the TL-122.[4] The TL-122 was itself a slightly altered version of the angle-head, brass-bodied Eveready Model No. 2694 Industrial flashlight and the No. 2697 Boy Scout flashlight, first introduced in 1927. The TL-122 used the same case as the Eveready No. 2697 with the “TL-122” designation stamped into the head instead of the BSA emblem. The light was painted Army olive drab and the lens, switch and battery caps were finished in black, but the TL-122 used the same #14 screw-base bulb as the BSA flashlight.
The TL-122 in its various forms was manufactured by various U.S., Italian, and British contractors for the US, British, Italian, and French military forces. Four versions of the TL-122 were eventually developed, all utilizing exposed slider-type light switches (no switch guard):[4]
TL-122. Original model with #14 screw-base bulb based on the Eveready Model No. 2697.Manufacturer's name (Eveready, Niagara) stamped on base of housing.
TL-122-A. Introduced in 1939. Like the TL-122, the TL-122(A) used a housing made out of stamped brass (later changed to plastic as brass became a strategic material after US entry into WWII). Manufacture's name (Eveready, Niagara, USALite) stamped into base of housing. Olive drab painted housing with blackened metal screw caps over the lens and the base. Featuring improved waterproofing and a brighter PR-9 flange base bulb, the TL-122A entered service in 1939, and was designed to fit armored vehicle flashlight brackets.[3]
TL-122-B. First plastic (Bakelite) flashlight, issued September 1943, OD color. Manufacturer's name (Bright Star, Eveready, USALite, GITS, Micro-Lite) stamped on base of housing.
