found this guys figure you be interested in it.



www.strategypage.com/htmw/htinf/articles/20050919.aspx
New Generation Night Vision
September 19, 2005: The U.S. Army and Marine Corps are buying (for $3.3 billion) some 380,000 of a new generation of night vision equipment for individual troops. Night vision devices, in use since the Vietnam war (when the size and shape of a foot long telescope), have gotten smaller, lighter and more capable and reliable. The third generation equipment buy includes 340,486 AN/PVS-14 night vision monocle (one eye) devices. These weigh about 11 ounces and cost $2,570 each. In addition, 38,816 of the AN/PVS-7D night vision binocular units are being bought. These weigh 1.5 pounds and cost $2,614 each. The buy includes spare parts, particularly the image tubes, which wear out and have to be replaced. Some 210,000 of these tubes are being bought, for about $1,900 each. Both night vision units enable the user to identify a man sized target at 150 meters using only starlight. The battery powered night vision devices last about 15 hours per set of batteries. Large night vision gear can see farther and more clearly, but the advantage of the AN/PVS-14 is that it's light enough, and cheap enough, for every infantryman, or truck driver, to have one.

Night vision gives American troops a major advantage in combat, even when the enemy sometimes has similar equipment. U.S. troops constantly train with their night vision gear, and are remarkably effective pulling off raids and attacks in complete darkness. This tends to put the enemy off balance, resulting in quick American victory, with low casualties all around.

And we'll never ever ever ever ever ever ever see any of the old ones surplussed out.  

ETA:  Oops, these aren't replacements.  But we'll still never see surplus 3G .mil NV.

Fourth generation nightvision is available to anybody with a  big allowance.

Why are they going to 3rd?

Quoted: Fourth generation nightvision is available to anybody with a  big allowance. Why are they going to 3rd?

Yeah something doesn't sound right.

They are making a big deal about equipment that has been around since GW1.

Quoted: Fourth generation nightvision is available to anybody with a  big allowance. Why are they going to 3rd?

The price is right and they can equip a lot of guys with the gear who need it but don't have it.  It may not be the newest technology but it is good enough to do the job.  That's why.

David Crane must be freelancing articles.

Quoted: AN/PVS-14 night vision monocle (one eye) devices..

I sure like mine.  

Fight,

What gen is that and how much?

Thanks

CRC

Looks like whoever wrote the article is a generation behind if they think the Gen 3 stuff is new.

I've had Gen 3 ITT 6015's since 1998. I've had Gen 3 AN/PVS-7D's since at least 2002.

The Gen 4 stuff is out there, but IIRC it doesn't have the life time in hours that the Gen 3 stuff has. Costs more as well if you have to replace it twice as often as the Gen 3.

Quoted: Fight, What gen is that and how much? Thanks CRC

AN/PVS-14.   the tube in this unit is an ITT omni-5 contract,thin-filmed module with a  gated  power supply- resolution is atleast 64lp/mm minimum and 72 lp/mm maximum.


Cost?   Not a cheap date, but GAWD what a tremendous asset.  

Didn't they have a color NOD at Blackwater's Annual Shootout this year?

Justin

Airmen receive panoramic night-vision goggles
 

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- A pilot with the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron here tests panoramic night-vision goggles on an A-10 Thunderbolt II. The first shipment of PNVGs was received April 25 by special operations Airmen for use by their AC-130 gunship and MC-130 Combat Talon aircrews. A-10 Thunderbolt II aircrews are scheduled to receive the goggles in future procurements. (U.S. Air Force photo)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
by 1st Lt. David Cromwell
Aeronautical Systems Center Public Affairs

4/26/2005 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- Nighttime missions are about to get a whole lot clearer, and that is only the beginning of a much-anticipated acquisition program here.

Air Force special operations aircrews received their first shipment of 20 panoramic night-vision goggles April 25.

The current contract calls for 400 goggles, and officials plan to deliver about 20 goggles a month to the field, said Todd Depoy, PNVG system program manager with the combat systems squadron here.

The squadron is responsible for the system development, demonstration, production, fielding and sustainment of cross-platform programs.

The panoramic goggles provide pilots a 95-degree field of view compared to the standard goggles 40 degrees. It does this by using four smaller (16 mm) image intensifier tubes rather than the two traditional (18 mm) ones.

An auto-gating feature that works independently on each of the tubes also protects pilots from visual degradation if and when they encounter bright lights such as flares. The tube exposed to the high light source automatically reduces gain, which blocks out the light, while allowing the other tubes to retain visual acuity and situational awareness for the pilot.

“The (PNVGs) are an evolutionary growth in night combat capability,” said Lt. Col. Terrence Leary, squadron commander. “They improve the aircrew’s overall situational awareness and safety by more than doubling the current field of view. This will allow the aircrew to perform near-daytime tactics at night, reducing their time in the threat envelope and improving their targeting and tracking capabilities.”

The first special operations Airmen to receive the PNVGs are the AC-130 gunship and MC-130 Combat Talon aircrews. Additional fielding is scheduled for Air Combat Command A-10 Thunderbolt II and Air Mobility Command C-17 Globemaster III units.

This delivery is the first step in the program that was first flown in 2001 as an advanced technology demonstration at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Two more upgrades for the panoramic goggles have already been planned, officials said.

Nice panoramic NVG's.  A FOD flap would also help keep that jet flying.

Isnt there supposed to be a full color spectrum NV kit on the horizon?

I think that digital sensors will eventually
replace the sensor tube technology  . Most
CCD and CMOS chips run at 0.03 lux already .
They can also be combined with a near IR or a
thermal CMOS chip and Contrast Limited Adaptive
Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) process to produce
significantly improved images .

I will try and dig up a link to the technology and
equipment that has already been produced .
It was posted on a photography site I belong to
and the images it produced were incredible .

Quoted: I think that digital sensors will eventually replace the sensor tube technology  . Most CCD and CMOS chips run at 0.03 lux already . They can also be combined with a near IR or a thermal CMOS chip and Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) process to produce significantly improved images . I will try and dig up a link to the technology and equipment that has already been produced . It was posted on a photography site I belong to and the images it produced were incredible .

You can bet your sweet ass that TI and the guys are crackin' away at it... def. wanna see what the Raytheon guys could cook up... if they ever took this seriously.

S'posedly they are working at combining thermal and infrared into one unit IIRC.