#Goggles

Hello fellow nocturnal enthusiasts, and welcome to another Friday Night Lights. Today we take a look at a rather uncommon set of dual tube night vision goggles. Fenn Night Vision makes these ANVIS goggles for pilots. They feature a wider field of view and in some cases can explode right off your face, more about that later. As always this series is sponsored by ATN Corp, manufacturers of night vision and thermal optics like the THOR LT. As with all of our sponsored series, Friday Night Lights will continue to bring you unbiased news and reviews from a variety of companies.

I bought a PVS31A at the beginning of the year. While I have not recorded hours of use, I have spent a decent amount of time behind them both in courses and practice. I have also taken them on numerous night hikes to simply get better accustomed to movement under nightvision in places with uneven terrain. Unfortunately PVS-31s are restricted to government and military purchase only for those purchasing directly from a distributor. However, they can be found used from various dealers. It is important to understand that purchasing used night vision in any form is an extremely risky purchase and should be done only at your own risk especially if you are purchasing sight unseen.

Ops Core’s new Step-In Visor offers an innovative solution for eye protection. The Step-In Visor offers eye protection that is easily connected to a bump or ballistic Ops Core helmet having your personal protective equipment readily available in time of need. The Step-In Visor is available in Black, Tan, Foliage Green and Urban Gray and has an MSRP of $275.

Last year, we wrote about a new integrated night vision optic system that would allow data from a US Army soldier’s weapon-mounted night vision device to be fed directly to his helmet-mounted night vision monocle. Such a system could be a major step forward in night vision combat optics systems, which are today one of the most important advantages possessed by Western and especially United States infantry. Now, it seems this project has borne fruit: The Army has ordered advanced night vision systems of this variety from DRS Technologies, a US-founded, Italian-owned company making the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle (ENVG) system. The company published a release through its news outlet, DRS News:

The US Army has been investing heavily in improved sighting and target acquisition systems for dismounted troops. Among these initiatives has been a steady improvement program for night vision systems including rifle sights and monocles. Soldier Systems brings us news of a new step forward in the development of those devices that seeks to increase the gap between US soldiers and enemy forces when operating at night. From the article:

ESS (Eye Safety Systems) is a subsidiary of Oakley and has spent years designing and manufacturing eyewear for the US military. In fact they’re the only authorized eyewear manufacturer for the USMC. During SHOT Phil and I spent some time at the ESS booth taking a look at what’s coming in 2015, and one of the products we were able to take a look at was the Influx.