#Nvgs

Hello, fellow night enthusiast. Welcome back to another edition of Friday Night Lights. Last week I took a look at some more Hollywood night vision myths. Well, today we take a look at yet another obscure European biocular night vision goggle. This one has its origins in France but ended up being manufactured by Meopta in the Czech Republic. The Meopta Klára was a night vision goggle made specifically for their army.

Night Vision Devices is a Pennsylvania-based operation providing low-light optical solutions for both US and foreign governmental agencies, as well as the growing civilian night vision market. The company describes themselves as: “…the source for the highest quality US manufactured night vision binoculars, monoculars, weapon sights, night vision parts and service in the industry. Incorporated in 2005, NVD is a U.S. Veteran Owned Small Business that prides itself on being a premier manufacturer and tactical integrator of night vision binoculars, monoculars and weapon sights which are built to full MIL-SPEC qualifications. NVD is currently the third largest system manufacturer of Image Intensified (I2) night vision systems in the United States.”

There is a common trope in the night vision world: 1 < 2 < 4. These numbers refer to the quantity of tubes used in different sets of NODs (Night-vision Optical Devices). Monoculars like the PVS-14 or Photonis Vyper-14 are inherently more limited than binocular devices like DTNVGs, and “ panoramic” quad-tube NODs like GPNVGs are heralded by many as the holy grail of seeing in the dark – hence, one tube isn’t as good as two tubes, which aren’t as good as four. Although in practicality, the four vs. two debate is a bit more complex than this somewhat trite representation, with factors like weight entering the mix, the fact remains that quads are a big deal (and come with the big price tag to match). Doubtlessly, there is something to be said for panos’ offering of a wider field of view and resultant better situational awareness.

For this week’s Friday Night Lights we resume our Dual Tube Spotlight and look at a new bino NVG from ATN. The ATN PS31 is an articulating housing that resembles an L3 PVS-31 but it has features that set it apart from the pinnacle of dual tube night vision goggles.

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 goggles like the PVS-21s. There are a number of dual tube designs even the Chinese BNVD-1431 but now we will spotlight these binocular NVGs and give them the attention they deserve. This week we will take a close look at the AN/PVS-15.

For our last Friday Night Lights of the year let’s “Focus On Your NVGs.” Pun intended. Most night vision devices have an adjustable front focus. However, for those of you who have looked through helmet-mounted or handheld night vision devices, you will know that they have a very shallow depth of field (DOF). DOF is a camera term. Basically, it means if you focus on something far, everything up close will be out of focus. If you focus on something close up, then everything far away will be out of focus. There are some add-on attachment devices that can help you refocus your NVGs without having to twist the front objective lens as well as increase DOF.

JW Ramp took this photo of his friend who wanted a new Tinder picture. This is what they came up with. BCM AR with DBAL, Surefire Scoutlight, Aimpoint T1 and what looks like Ramp’s bino MOD3 NODS. Who here uses NODS and Tinder? Perhaps not both at the same time.

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: