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A night vision device (NVD) is an optical instrument that allows images to be produced in levels of light approaching total darkness. They are most often used by the military and law enforcement agencies, but are available to civilian users. The term usually refers to a complete unit, including an image intensifier tube, a protective and generally water-resistant housing, and some type of mounting system. Many NVDs also include sacrificial lenses, IR illuminators, and telescopic lenses. The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...
Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ...
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For other uses, see Police (disambiguation). ...
In times of armed conflict a civilian is any person who is not a combatant. ...
Eight Inch refracting telescope. ...
NVDs are mounted appropriately for their specific purpose, with more general-purpose devices having more mounting options. For instance, the AN/PVS-14 is a monocular night vision device in use with the US military as well as by civilians. It may be mounted on the user's head for handsfree use with a harness or helmet attachment, either as a monocular device, or in aligned pairs for binocular "night vision goggles" which provide a degree of depth perception as do optical binoculars. The AN/PVS-14 may also be attached to a rifle using a Picatinny rail, in front of an existing telescopic or red dot sight, or attached to a single-lens reflex camera.[1] Other systems, such as the AN/PVS-22 or Universal Night Sight, are designed for a specific purpose, integrating an image intensifier into, for example, a telescopic sight, resulting in a smaller and lighter but less versatile system.[2] The AN/PVS-14 Monocular Night Vision Device (MNVD) is in widespread use by US Armed Forces as well as NATO allies around the world. ...
A monocular is a modified refracting telescope used to magnify the images of distant objects by passing light through a series of lenses and prisms; the use of prisms results in a lightweight telescope. ...
The armed forces of the United States of America consist of the United States Army United States Navy United States Air Force United States Marine Corps United States Coast Guard Note: The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. ...
This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
The term harness has been used for many centuries for part of the collection of equipment known as horse tack, essential in the domestic, military, and agrarian use of horses. ...
A person wearing a helmet. ...
Porro-prism binoculars with central focusing Binocular telescopes, or binoculars, (also known as field glasses) are two identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes (binocular vision) when viewing distant objects. ...
For other uses, see Rifle (disambiguation). ...
M4A Modular Weapons System carbine with M1913 rails on receiver and foregrip Picatinny Rail Dimensions, Cross Section The Picatinny rail is a bracket used on some firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform for scopes and other accessories such as tactical lights and laser sighting modules. ...
View through a 4x rifle scope A telescopic sight, commonly referred to as a scope, is a device used to give an accurate point of aim for a firearm. ...
A Norwegian soldier holding an MP5 with an Aimpoint CompM2 red dot sight. ...
This article is about SLR cameras in general. ...
Night vision devices were first used in World War II, and came into wide use during the Vietnam War.[3][4] The technology has evolved greatly since their introduction, leading to several "generations" of night vision equipment with performance increasing and price decreasing. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000...
Usage Night vision devices were originally developed for military use, but have since spread into other areas, such as security and police work, rescue outfits and various amateur uses (for example animal watching or hunting).
Night vision goggles have been especially praised by the pilots of rescue helicopters, as they eliminate the need for a 'sterile light environment' (i.e. a dark cabin to allow the pilot to let his eyes naturally adjust to night-flying conditions). This will for example allow a medic in the cabin to work on a patient under bright lights while retaining the pilot's ability to fly safely under night conditions.[5]
Function Night vision devices (NVD) work in the near-infrared band at a wavelength of about 1 micrometer. For comparison, the human visual system is sensitive to light wavelengths in the range of about 0.4 to 0.7 micrometers. Unlike thermal imaging systems, which operate in complete darkness by detecting heat radiation signatures in infrared wavelengths beyond 3 micrometers, NVDs work in near darkness by detecting ordinary ambient light, usually from the moon and stars, that is reflected by objects in the scene being viewed. NVDs contain an image intensifier tube that uses the photoelectric effect to amplify very weak light. As each photon of incoming light collides with a detector plate inside the intensifier tube, the plate ejects several electrons that are further amplified into a cascade of electrons. These electrons are accelerated by a strong electric field towards a phosphor screen which emits light at the point of impact of the electrons. A bright image is thus formed on the phosphor screen. Outdoor environments that are illuminated only by star light can be easily viewed using night vision devices. For other uses, see Infrared (disambiguation). ...
For other uses, see Wavelength (disambiguation). ...
A micrometre (American spelling: micrometer, symbol µm) is an SI unit of length equal to one millionth of a metre, or about a tenth of the diameter of a droplet of mist or fog. ...
Thermography can refer to a printing process and a imaging process. ...
Darkness is the absence of light. ...
Low-key lighting is a style of lighting for film or television. ...
This article is about Earths moon. ...
This article is about the astronomical object. ...
A diagram illustrating the emission of electrons from a metal plate, requiring energy gained from an incoming photon to be more than the work function of the material. ...
In modern physics the photon is the elementary particle responsible for electromagnetic phenomena. ...
For other uses, see Electron (disambiguation). ...
Green screen A phosphor is a substance that exhibits the phenomenon of phosphorescence (sustained glowing after exposure to light or energised particles such as electrons). ...
 A scene illuminated with a night vision device. Most night vision devices do not detect color information, and hence a monochromatic phosphor screen is sufficient. A green phosphor (P22) display is generally used because the human eye is most sensitive to the color green, which falls in the middle of the visible light spectrum.[6] Something which is monochromatic has a single color. ...
This article refers to the sight organ. ...
One of the drawbacks of almost all current NVDs is the lack of peripheral vision, meaning that the user needs to turn his head to change his rather narrow field of view.[5] Peripheral vision is a part of vision that occurs outside the very center of gaze. ...
Passive and active There are two methods of operating night vision systems, passive or active. Passive systems amplify the existing environmental ambient lighting, while active systems rely on an infrared light source to provide sufficient illumination. Early NVDs were designed to be used as active systems, as they did not have the sensitivity to operate on ambient light. Active systems are often used today in closed-circuit television security applications and also on many consumer devices such as home video cameras. This article refers to a surveillance system. ...
Consumers refers to individuals or households that purchase and use goods and services generated within the economy. ...
Video cameras are used primarily in two modes. ...
Military applications generally require passive operation, as an active system's infrared illumination device is easily spotted and tracked by others equipped with night vision devices, placing the user at a tactical disadvantage.[7] However, most modern NVG devices include an inbuilt active IR illuminator which can be toggled for use when ambient light is not available.
Active Active infrared night vision combines infrared illumination of spectral range 700nm-1000nm - just beyond the visible spectrum of the human eye - with special CCD cameras sensitive to this light. The resulting scene, which is apparently dark to a human observer, appears as a monochrome image on a normal display device.[1]
Because active infrared night vision systems can incorporate illuminators that produce high levels of infrared light, the resulting images are typically higher resolution than other night vision technologies[2][3]. Active infrared night vision is now commonly found in commercial, residential and government security applications, where it enables effective night time imaging under low light conditions. However, since active infrared light can be detected by night vision goggles, it is generally not used in tactical military operations.
Passive
 A US Army soldier uses a weapon mounted night vision device during a training exercise. Night vision technology, which refers to the quality of the image intensifier tube housed by the NVD, is often classified into "Generations" following the pattern originated by the US Military. Referring to night vision in terms of its generation is purely for indicative and reference purposes only, even though this has spread to become common consumer terminology. The United States Army class their current in-service devices with the Generation Family Type followed by the device's version or awarded contract.[8] The latest night vision device in service with the United States Army, as of October 2007, is the Gen III Omni VII, manufactured by ITT Corporation.[9] However, due to the fact that it is an autogated tube, the consumer market generally refers to this as being a 'Gen IV' device. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 521 pixelsFull resolution (3008 × 1960 pixel, file size: 1. ...
Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 521 pixelsFull resolution (3008 × 1960 pixel, file size: 1. ...
The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...
The armed forces of the United States of America consist of the United States Army United States Navy United States Air Force United States Marine Corps United States Coast Guard Note: The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. ...
The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ...
For other uses, see ITT (disambiguation). ...
Within the European Union, Australia, and New Zealand, night vision devices are not referred to in terms of 'Generations', as the most recent image intensifiers in service is the XR5 autogated filmless tube from Photonis-DEP, and hence this product would be considered a ‘Gen IV’ type device by the consumer market.
Generations
Generation 0 The first night vision devices, the M1 and M3 infrared night sighting devices, also known as the "sniperscope" or "snooperscope", were introduced by the US Army in World War II, and also used in the Korean War, to assist snipers.[10] They were active devices, using a large infrared light source to illuminate targets. Their image intensifier tubes function using an anode and an S-1 photocathode, made primarily of silver, caesium, and oxygen to accelerate the electrons.[11] Parallel development of night vision systems by AEG occurred in Nazi Germany, and by the end of World War II, it had equipped approximately 50 Panther tanks, which saw combat on both the Eastern and Western Fronts, and produced the "Vampir" man-portable system for infantry soldiers equipped with Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifles.[12] Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
Belligerents United Nations: Republic of Korea Australia Belgium Canada Colombia Ethiopia France Greece Luxembourg Netherlands New Zealand Philippines South Africa Thailand Turkey United Kingdom United States Naval Support and Military Servicing/Repairs: Japan Medical staff: Denmark Italy Norway India Sweden DPR Korea PR China Soviet Union Commanders Syngman Rhee Chung...
For other uses, see Sniper (disambiguation). ...
Diagram of a zinc anode in a galvanic cell. ...
Diagram of a copper cathode in a Daniells cell. ...
This article is about the chemical element. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number caesium, Cs, 55 Chemical series alkali metals Group, Period, Block 1, 6, s Appearance silvery gold Standard atomic weight 132. ...
This article is about the chemical element and its most stable form, or dioxygen. ...
AEG volt-meter designed by Peter Behrens AEG (Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft, General Electricity Company) was a German producer of electronics and electrical equipment. ...
Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ...
The Panther ( ) was a tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. ...
Combatants Soviet Union,[1] Poland, Tannu Tuva (until 1944 incorporation with USSR), Mongolia Germany,[2] Italy (to 1943), Romania (to 1944), Finland (to 1944), Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Spain (to 1943, unofficial) Commanders Joseph Stalin, Aleksei Antonov, Ivan Konev, Rodion Malinovsky, Ivan Bagramyan, Kirill Meretskov, Ivan Petrov, Alexander Rodimtsev, Konstantin Rokossovsky...
Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the contested armed frontier between lands controlled by Germany to the East and the Allies to the West. ...
Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I Infantry or footmen are very highly disciplined and trained soldiers who fight primarily with small arms(rifles), but are trained to use everything from their bare hands to missle systems in order to neutralize...
A Norwegian soldier (a Corporal, armed with an MP-5) A soldier is a person who has enlisted with, or has been conscripted into, the armed forces of a sovereign country and has undergone training and received equipment to defend that country or its interests. ...
Sturmgewehr 44 (StG44) was an assault rifle developed in Nazi Germany during World War II and was the first of its kind to see major deployment. ...
Generation 1 (GEN I) First generation passive devices, introduced during the Vietnam War were an adaptation of earlier active Gen 0 technology, and rely on ambient light instead of an infrared light source. Using an S-20 photocathode, their image intensifiers produce a light amplification of around 1000x[13], but are quite bulky and require moonlight to function properly. Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000...
In an electron tube, a negatively charged electrode coated with a photosensitive compound. ...
Moonlight has several meanings: Moonlight is the light that is perceived as coming from the moon. ...
Examples:
Generation 2 (GEN II) Second generation devices featured an improved image-intensifier tube utilizing micro-channel plate (MCP)[14] with an S-25 photocathode[15], resulting in a much brighter image, especially around edges of the lens. This leads to increased illumination in low ambient light environments, such as moonless nights. Light amplification was around 20000x[16] Also improved were image resolution and reliability. A micro-channel plate is a planar device which intensifies impinging radiation or particles by multiplication of electrons in small channels under the presence of a high electric field. ...
Image resolution describes the detail an image holds. ...
Reliability concerns quality or consistency. ...
Examples:
Generation 3 (GEN III) Third generation night vision systems maintain the MCP from Gen II, but now use a photocathode made with gallium arsenide, which further improves image resolution. In addition, the MCP is coated with an ion barrier film for increased tube life. The light amplification is also improved, to around 30000-50000x [20] This article is about the chemical compound. ...
Examples:
The AN/PVS-14 Monocular Night Vision Device (MNVD) is in widespread use by US Armed Forces as well as NATO allies around the world. ...
Omnibus-VII The US Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) (http://www.nvl.army.mil/) is part of the governing body that dictates the name of the generation of night vision technologies. Although the recent increased performance associated with the GEN-III OMNI-VII components is impressive, the US Army has not yet authorized the use of the name GEN-IV for these components.
GEN-III OMNI-VII devices can differ from standard Generation 3 in two important ways. First, an automatic gated power supply system regulates the photocathode voltage, allowing the NVD to instantaneously adapt to changing light conditions.[24] The second, is a removed or greatly thinned ion barrier, which decreases the amount of electrons that are usually rejected by the Standard GEN III MCP, hence resulting in less image noise and the ability to operate with a luminous sensitivity at 2850K of only 700, compared to operating with a luminous sensitivity of at least 1800 for GEN III type image intensifiers.[25] The disadvantage to a thin or removed ion barrier is the overall decrease in tube life from a theoretical 20,000 hrs mean time to failure (MTTF) for Gen III type, to 15,000 hrs MTTF for GEN IV type. However, this is largely negated by the low numbers of image intensifier tubes that reach 15,000 hrs of operation before replacement. A wall wart style variable DC power supply with its cover removed. ...
It is important to note that while the consumer market classifies this type of system as "Generation 4", the United States military describes these systems as Generation 3 Autogated tubes (GEN-III OMNI-VII). Moreover, as autogating power supplies can be now be added to any previous generation of nightvision, 'autogating' capability does not automatically class the devices as a GEN-III OMNI-VII, as seen with the XD-4. Another point to note is that any postnominals appearing after a Generation type (ie: Gen II +, Gen III +) does not change the generation type of the device, but instead indicates a supposed advancement(s) over the original specification's requirements.[26]
Examples:
Other technologies
 Panoramic Night Vision Goggles in testing The US Air Force is experimenting with Panoramic Night Vision Goggles (PNVGs) which double the user's field of view to around 95 degrees by using four 16 mm image intensifiers tubes, rather than the more standard two 18 mm tubes. They are in service with A-10,MC-130 Combat Talon and AC-130U Spooky aircrews.[29] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3000x1993, 3954 KB) Night vision goggles. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3000x1993, 3954 KB) Night vision goggles. ...
Seal of the Air Force. ...
The field of view is the part of the observable world that is seen at any given moment. ...
This aircraft article has not been updated to WikiProject Aircrafts current standards. ...
The AC-130 Gunship is an armed variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. ...
IN 2007 Xenonics Holdings, using newly patented technology, offered the first digital night seeing system, a hand held monocule device with 2-8X zoom capability branded Supervision. [30][31]
The PSQ-20, manufactured by ITT seeks to combine thermal imaging with image intensification, as does the Northrop Grumman Fused Multispectral Weapon Sight.[32][33] Thermography can refer to a printing process and a imaging process. ...
Legality Certain countries (e.g. Hungary and other European Union members) regulate possession of night-vision devices[citation needed]. Civilians are allowed to have Generation 1 and Gen1+ devices[citation needed], but citizen's access to Gen 2 and up is outlawed by adopting International Traffic in Arms Regulations into national legislation.[citation needed] Generation 2 and higher devices are classified as military/law enforcement purpose and espionage tools. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) is a set of United States government regulations that control the export and import of defense-related articles and services on the United States Munitions List. ...
New Zealand rescue helicopter services use several sets of 3rd-generation night vision goggles imported from the USA, and is required to restrict access to the equipment to comply with the strict regulations regarding their export.[5] Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic - President George W. Bush (R) - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized...
US Patents
Manufacturers USA[35][36] Aiptek logo Advanced Intelligent Personal Technologies (AIPTEK) is a firm that produces digital equipment. ...
ASELSAN was founded by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation at the end of 1975 to produce tactical military radios and defense electronic systems for the Turkish Army. ...
EG&G logo EG&G is a defense contractor and provider of management and technical services. ...
For other uses, see ITT (disambiguation). ...
The Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an aerospace and defense conglomerate that is the result of a 1994 merger between Northrop and Grumman. ...
Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States, bought by the Northrop Grumman Corporation in 2001. ...
Kongsberg Gruppen (KOG) (lit. ...
Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in defense systems and defense and commercial electronics. ...
SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems (Selex S&AS) is a major avionics joint venture created by the merger of Finmeccanicas Galileo Avionica and BAE Systems Avionics. ...
Swarovski crystal beads Swarovski Wattens Der Firmengründer Daniel Swarovski (1862 †1956) Swarovskistraße Wattens September 2007 Swarovski is the luxury brand name for the range of precision-cut lead crystal glass products produced by companies owned by Swarovski AG of Feldmeilen, near Zürich, Switzerland. ...
The Thales Group (Euronext: HO) is a major French electronics company delivering mission-critical information systems and services for the Aerospace, Defence, and Security markets. ...
See also Night-vision is seeing in the dark. ...
Microchannel plate detector from the Daresbury Recoil Separator A micro-channel plate (MCP) is a planar component used for detection of particles (electrons or ions) and impinging radiation (ultraviolet radiation and X-rays). ...
References The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAA) (MÄori: Te Mana Rererangi TÅ«matanui o Aotearoa) is the government agency tasked with establishing civil aviation safety and security standards in New Zealand. ...
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...
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