A rather newcomer to the night vision industry, AGM Global Vision has a budget-friendly dual tube night vision goggle called the NVG-50. Actually, it looks a lot like the ARMASIGHT BNVD-51 which was brought under FLIR for a time. The NVG-50 is feature-packed and boasts [Read More…]
The US Marine Corps has recently undergone a top down doctrinal reevaluation of its future role. As part of these changes in the make up of the Corps have been planned and now a brand new initiative has also been launched – Marine Corps Systems Command’s [Read More…]
Recently this photo has been circulating social media. Assumptions were made that the photo is of a Venezuelan soldier wearing night vision but upon closer inspection, they are a cheap roleplay toy for children. The Venezuelan Army actually uses night vision but these [Read More…]
Have you ever wondered what IR illuminators look like to someone on the receiving end? Certain SOP is to forgo the use of an IR lights or lasers and to just shoot passively for fear of the target downrange being able to see the glow of an IR device even without night [Read More…]
Shooting with night vision is a lot of fun. One piece of equipment that makes shooting under NODs easy is a good laser. While there is a whole wide range of lasers to choose from, we will focus on three of the most popular lasers that are available for civilian use. The [Read More…]
At last SHOT Show 2020, SiOnyx unveiled their new Aurora Pro digital night vision camera. If you recall, I reviewed the original Aurora camera a year before that. Well, partially thanks to my mistake in further testing my Aurora, SiOnyx was gracious to replace my broken [Read More…]
When getting into night vision a lot of people focus on the specs of the image intensifier tube. In this week’s episode of Friday Night Lights, I will go over night vision specs and try to explain the different generations of night vision. Hopefully, this will [Read More…]
So you are stuck at home due to self-quarantine, shelter in place, introvert’s heaven or whatever you call it. And now Trump has put some stimulus Coronabux in your bank account and you are itching to spend it on some sweet night vision. If you are single and [Read More…]
B.E. Meyers is introducing a Limited Edition MAWL-C1+ in Olive Drab Green. They are running what they call a “restricted run of a widely requested color“, and it will only be available as long as the current inventory remains. B.E. Meyers claim this is the [Read More…]
For a specific end-user that wanted to rule the night, Surefire designed the XC2-IRC. The unit remains unnamed, but they had a requirement for a very compact IR light and IR aiming laser in combination. Unless your eyes can see the 845-nanometer infrared or [Read More…]
Have you used thermal optics while hunting? Know what is a pain in the behind? Ranging with thermal devices especially in the dark. The problem is laser rangefinders only work if you can see through them and unless you have a night vision one you can’t aim it. [Read More…]
The German Bundeswehr (Army) has been training in the northern parts of Norway, near the Arctic Circle. At sub-zero temperatures, the soldiers, their skills, clothing and equipment were tested to the full extent, until the exercise ColdResponse 2020 had to be canceled [Read More…]
Have you ever tried to use a laser range finder (LRF) at night? Try it with night vision. The ones made for hunting seem to have coatings that block infrared light making it harder to see through them at night. Well, the US Government had the MARK VII made by Northrop [Read More…]
Recently TFB reported that Hensoldt won the tender for Thermal Sights for the German Army, with their IRV 900 A2 model. As part of the German Army’s modernisation program “Infantryman of the Future” Hensholdt is now delivering more of the IRV 600 A1 [Read More…]
IEA Mil-Optics is a German company supplying premium solutions for Armies and professionals. For instance, they got the order from the German Army as they ordered Night Vision Quad-Eyes. For users of the PVS14 / NT920, Mini14 / NT940 or PVS-1431 and PVS-31 BNVD they [Read More…]
So you bought a ninja laser to do ninja stuff in the dark. I am talking about a weapon mounted infrared laser. Humans cannot see the near infrared (NIR) wavelength without the help of night vision whether it is analog or digital. So how do you zero your invisible laser? [Read More…]
Pulsar Night Vision recently launched a Firmware update, and now it’s time for upgraded Series 2 versions of their ACCOLADE LRF, HELION and TRAIL LRF products. They all have lower than 40mK NETD sensitivity (Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference). That technical [Read More…]
It has been a personal goal of mine to get my hands on a Thales LUCIE NVGs. However they are not that common and not normally sold to civilians. Just a couple weeks ago my friend Warren came across someone selling a SIMRAD GN1. While it is not a LUCIE, it functions the [Read More…]
Three years ago I reviewed my Leupold Thermal Tracker. Just like the LTO, the LTO-Quest HD is an entry level thermal device. It is a handheld scanner that has a unique form factor that looks like something out of Star Trek. Let us take a look at this LTO-Quest HD and [Read More…]
Just like Leica, Zeiss had chosen this year’s IWA exhibition to release their brand new and company-first Thermal Imaging Cameras. Once upon a time, everyone had a video camera, now we use our Smartphones or GoPros instead. But the really cool people use Thermal [Read More…]
The Swiss Army has placed an order for almost 10,000 VarioRay LLM laser lights from Rheinmetall. The Swiss Army calls the laser light LLM 19 and it will be used on the Swiss soldiers’ assault rifles, as part of Germany’s Future Soldier System-Extended System [Read More…]
Mankind’s desire to see in the dark has taken another step in Germany. The German Army has just ordered 368 systems with an option for a total of 402 systems. The supplier is Hensoldt and the product is called IRV 900 A2. Quickly described, it is a thermal sight [Read More…]
If you own a P320 or P250 then you should get the LIMA5. Since the P320 and P250 both have fire control units as the registered firearm component, the grip modules are interchangeable. You can get a LIMA5 to upgrade your P320 or P250 to have an integral visible laser [Read More…]
The market for thermal imaging seems to be growing and growing, and for the first time, we can show the new products from Leica Sport Optics. Their brand new line is called Leica Calonox. There will be two versions released towards the end of this year. One version is [Read More…]
Just before last SHOT Show, fellow TFB writer Austin mentioned that he was going to bring a post sample M16 for us to play with. Check out Luke’s article about that. Well, I talked to Austin and he agreed to make a second post sample lower so we could use it with [Read More…]
SIG Sauer Electro-Optics have launched their new ECHO3, a direct view thermal reflex sight. The ECHO3 will be available in either 1-6x or 2-12x magnification and has SIG Sauer’s Ballistic Data Xchange 2.0 integrated to allow the optic to interface with [Read More…]
When talking about image intensification (I²) with regards to analog night vision we are talking about the heart of night vision, the Image intensifier I² tube. The I² tubes are what performs the actual magic of amplifying light so we can see in the dark without the [Read More…]
Huge thanks to @spoonmann8 for cluing me into Netflix’s Night On Earth series. I had been procrastinating watching it. While I occasionally enjoy a nature show once in a while, like the BBC Planet Earth series, nothing about the Night On Earth series jumped out at [Read More…]
As the sun began to set in the southern Nevada desert, Industry Day at the Range came to a close. The targets were taken down, the firearms stowed and the products started making their way to the SHOT Show floor. Most would call it in, go grab a bite to eat and maybe [Read More…]
For Friday Night Lights I want to start a new ongoing series called Dual Tube Spotlight where we take a look at specific dual tube night vision goggles. I have already gone into some detail about various monocular devices and have spotlighted some interesting dual tube [Read More…]