The Night Vision Spot: L3Harris GPNVG-18 08/30/21

The GPNVG-18
      The GPNVG-18, or Ground Panoramic Night Vision Goggle, is the first panoramic night vision device ever created and issued to ground forces. Panoramic night vision does exactly what it says, that being a greater field of view in the sides at about 97 degrees for these goggles, up from the 40 degrees with conventional devices. They are manufactured by L3Harris Technologies as most night vision seems to be, at least in America. These were designed originally for use by DEVGRU, commonly known as SEAL Team Six, and the U.S. Army's Delta Force units, the former of which made these famous in their prolific use in the Osama Bin Laden raid in 2011.
    The tubes for these are 18mm MX-10160 of which there are four of. They are set up as two sets of two, and cannot be independently operated, i.e. one pair cannot be flipped up with the other remaining down. They come in two different types from the factory, one being an ANVIS ball detent mount and the other being a BNVS dovetail mounting system. Powered by four 3V CR123A batteries in a battery pack, they have an effective run time of about 30 hours. Weight is 27 ounces, or 1.69 pounds which is significantly heavier than the 1531s and 31A goggles, but the added utility of a wider view makes the trade off worth it in a professional life or death situation. 
    Recently, these have been released for exclusive civilian sale through TNVC, a night vision company who was also crucial in making the 31As and 1531s available for the commercial market through traditional channels. These goggles were highly regulated for quite some time, requiring approval from Department of Defense program managers for any sales, even to government agencies. Not only are they now available, they come in at the very affordable price of just $40,399 for the BNVS mount system, and $41,499 for the ANVIS system. Yeah, they are the most expensive night vision that money can buy for individual use outside of an industrial or an aircraft infrared system. But believe it or not, they actually sell quite a few to very well funded law enforcement agencies, and even civilians. Yes, there are quite a few people who actually have over 40 grand to spend on something like this and they usually aren't hurting too bad when they spend the money.
    Definitely a bucket list item for anyone interested in anything military or technology, but certainly unobtainable to almost everyone, even with the barrier to entry being significantly reduced, or rather, opened at all. 

   


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Night Vision Spot: Optics 1 ECOTI 09/26/21

Image
 The Optics 1 ECOTI           The ECOTI is a thermal hybrid device that allows for state of the art visual augmentation. What it does is simple, it is a very clear night vision thermal optic that outlines targets, similar to a video game. The capabilities are advanced enough to allow for this to occur. A human silhouette will be outlined around a figure that follows the edges of the body so that a real outline is always present. This lets the user track movement and outline potential threats in very clear resolution. It is not a stand alone device, but rather a very capable, albeit very expensive, clip on device that is mounted in front of a pair of night vision goggles. This allows for the hybrid mechanism to work as it accurately relays information onto the goggle and into the users eyes.      The technology involved in this equipment is very high end and secretive, so information relating to how it actually works is limited, even thou...
Read more

The Night Vision Spot: Harris AN/PVS-23 (F5050YG) 09/26/21

Image
 The AN/PVS-23 (F5050YG)      The Harris AN/PVS-23 (F5050YG) is a multi-purpose night vision binocular system designed for use by ground and sea-borne operators. It is derived from the proven AN/AVS-6 (ANVIS) goggle, using aviation standard Harris Gen3 PINNACLE optics. This allows the AN/PVS-23 to provide an unparalleled image in a substantially more-rugged package than its aviation counterparts. The AN/PVS-23 has been designed from the ground up to handle the harshest battlefield conditions.      U.S. Military Special Operations Forces began using binocular style night vision  devices in the form of the ANVIS-6 and ANVIS-9 goggles. These units were built to  operate in controlled environments, like cockpits, where they would not be exposed to  the rigors and abuse of the field. However, the lenses and optics afforded the best  possible image for pilots who needed depth perception to fly their planes and helos at  night. This a...
Read more

The Night Vision Spot: L3Harris M914A PVS-14 09/18/21

Image
  The M914A PVS-14     The M914A is a factory L3Harris manufactured version of the PVS-14 monocular device which has seen easily the most extensive military use of any night vision device. The PVS14 is the standard issue US service night vision device.  Its versatility makes it a common choice for Law Enforcement as well. PVS-14’s can be mounted on helmets for hands-free use, behind weapon optics, or simply as a handheld device. As a monocular, the PVS-14 provides Gen3 night vision aid to one of the operator’s eyes, leaving the other to retain its natural night-adapted vision. This is important when changing light conditions in the field cause the user to go back and forth between aided and un-aided vision. Military and Law Enforcement operators need the ability to instantly switch between night vision and white light as the situation develops.     The main, and only, difference between the M914A and a traditional PVS-14 is that the M914A is a high FOM tub...
Read more