The Firearm Blog is at IWA OutdoorClassics 2023 exhibition! Is there any room here for night vision and thermals? You bet, and we got you covered with the latest news from Pulsar Vision.

Pulsar @ TFB:

• [IWA 2023] Pulsar Krypton 2 – Upgraded Thermal Clip-Ons
• [IWA 2023] Pulsar Telos: <18mK NETD – Premium Line of Upgradable Thermal Monoculars
• New Pulsar Thermion Duo DXP50: 4k Full-Color Daytime + Thermal Riflescope
• TFB Review: Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF XP50 Pro Thermal Riflescope

A week before the exhibition, Pulsar teased all the readers of their newsletter with this image, and since we were kind of curious, we set off to take a closer look. We couldn’t really guess what it was.

The new Pulsar Telos LRF XP50 thermal monocular with LRF

The brand new Pulsar Telos LRF XP50 is a premium-class thermal monocular, with a 640×480 pixel @ 17 microns and the lowest NETD I’ve ever seen on a commercial device at <18 mK. It can be used with both the left and the right hand and it has an 1800 meter detection range.

Below: The Telos LRF XP50 Thermal monocular directly from IWA.

The magnification goes from 2.5 to 10x (4x digital zoom). The body is made of non-slip rubber.

Here are almost five minutes of raw video from the Telos LRF XP50.

On display were also the thermal binocular Pulsar Merger LRF XP50 which we will fit in an upcoming review. They’re quite amazing to use compared to a monocular.

The Pulsar Merger LRF XP50 at work. This is the version with the 640×480 sensor:

If the 640x thermal image quality isn’t enough, there is more. Released at SHOT Show 2023, we see the new Pulsar Merger LRF XL50 for the first time in Europe (and they’re made here, including the thermal sensor by Lynred). These are thermal binoculars in HD, with a 1024×768 @ 12 µm thermal sensor.

Below: New Merger DUO NXP50.

The Merger DUO NXP50. Night vision and thermal combination, with <18 mK NETD for superb image quality.

Pulsar are known for very high image quality standards, but this is getting silly. It’s on the level that you can see what kind of underwear the trade visitors have, but unfortunately (or so), it’s difficult to share these images live from the exhibition.

If you prefer more pocket-sized thermal monoculars (and less expensive), the Pulsar Axion 2s are now upgraded with their “Pro” treatment, which means a NETD of <25mK which makes them more sensitive. The Pulsar 2 XQ35 Pro and Pulsar Axion 2 LRF XQ35 Pro should be available around Q2 as well.

The Talion series of thermal riflescopes gets addition with the Talion XG35 and Talion XQ35 Pro. To me, the Talion XG35 appears to be the most interesting, with its 640×480 thermal sensor (NETD <40mK) and 1750-meter detection range. That’s a lot of power in a small package, well suited for a hunting rifle. According to Pulsar, these should be available during Q2 2023.

Below: This is as close as I dared to go, when I used the Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF XP50 Pro Thermal Riflesight to do my review.

Multispectral Hunting Riflescopes

Probably of the most interest for TFB’s readers are the Pulsar DUO DXP50 and DUO DXP55 riflescopes that combine a 4K DAYTIME color camera and a high-end Thermal sensor. How does it work? I played around with it recently, in a very close (too close!) encounter with two “wild” boars, a dog and some people. The video describes how it works better than words. (note: the riflescope is not attached to any firearm, just a tripod for stability).

Thermal riflescopes are forbidden in Germany, so this market is mainly where thermal clip-ons are used. It’s been a while since Pulsar released any new clip-on models, but at this year’s IWA there were several pleasant surprises.

Thermal Clip-Ons

Pulsar Krypton 2 FXQ35 with a 384×288 pixel @ 17 microns and NETD <25 mK thermal sensor and a Full-HD multicolor AMOLED display / 8 color palette. According to Pulsar, this device can quickly transform a clip-on into a 3x thermal monocular. It uses a new attachment system to your normal daytime riflescope.

The Krypton 2 FXG50 is Pulsar’s new high-end thermal clip-on. It uses a European-made 640×460 pixels @ 12 microns and NETD <40 mK sensor with a 2300 detection range. The previous version was black and white, but the Krypton 2 has a full-HD multicolor AMOLED display and can quickly transform from a clip-on to a monocular. The battery is now mounted on the top, for better weight distribution. The software menu system seems to be scaleable as well, which is good if you change the magnification of your riflescope and still want to be able to read everything in the settings.

Pulsar Krypton 2 FXG50