A new type of heat transfer gauge that operates in the presence of highly ionized plasmas and in strong electric and magnetic fields has been developed. The principle of its operation is to use a thin opaque surface as the heat transfer element. Aerodynamic and radiative heating is applied to one side of this layer, while measurements are made of the change of the infrared emission from the other side. This system is essentially a bolometer. Since the gauge is initially at room temperature, the predominant radiation from the opaque layer is in the infrared band from 5 to 30 &mgr;. Changes in the temperature of the element are determined by the variation in its infrared emission. The opaque layer is made thin enough so that the temperature of the front surface can be determined in less than 0.1 &mgr;sec. This paper describes the components of the heat transfer system and the methods for calibrating the gauge for heating pulses of long and short duration. Gauge calibrations by heat pulses from shock heated air are presented, and the response time of the gauge to short heat pulses is evaluated.