For the shooter who wants a little more than what the PVS-22 has to offer, there is the Magnum Universal Night Vision or MUNS. Just like it's little brother, the Magnum Universal Night Sight™ (MUNS™) utilizes a full MIL-SPEC Gen 3 (AUTOGATED PINNACLE®) image intensifier tube, an extremely fast f/1.0 catadioptric lens for a brighter and sharper image in starlight, and patented permanent boresight alignment technology. The MUNS™, however, gathers twice as much light as the AN/PVS-22 Universal Night Sight™ (UNS™) PINNACLE® and can be used against targets at 1.5 times the range of the AN/PVS-22.

Spending a little more money might be worth the performance value. If you're considering a PVS-22, I recommend taking a look at the PVS-27 before making your
decision.

Cheers.

Kind of important and noteworthy news regarding the night vision industry that I failed to mention. My bad.

LOS ANGELES -- April 22, 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) announced today that it has completed the sale of its Electro-Optical Systems business for $175 million in cash to L-3 Communications (NYSE:LLL). Electro-Optical Systems produces night vision and applied optics products.

The PVS-7 5X 135mm Catadioptric Lens Binocular Gen 3 PINNACLE® is the perfect tool for passive, long-range night time surveillance.

A catadioptric optical system is one where lenses and curved mirrors are used to form the Image-forming optical system. Catadioptric systems are commonly used in telescopes and in lightweight, long focal length lenses for cameras.

The 5x Catadioptric lens replaces the standard 1x lens of the standard issue PVS-7B/D goggle type converting it into a binocular. The optical design is a fast f/1.6 in a package with a total length of only 3.5” and a weight of 520 grams. The design exhibits low chromatic aberration, and provides crisp imagery over its full 450-910nm (extended blue) operating range.

I try not to make entries about Thermal equipment on this blog, but found the NEW Multi-Purpose Thermal-Eye™ Renegade-320 worthy of an entry. The Renegade came out in late 2008 and combines the ergonomic features of a handheld and the convenience of weapon mounting, but is really more of weapons based Thermal device. It is based on the proven 320 x 240 Thermal-Eye™ 4500 Amorphous Silicon microbolometer core.

I personally had the opportunity to play around with one of these and I was impressed. The zoom was very workable, the features offered on the system made sense, and the image capture and USB connectivity were a relief. Finally, a thermal imager that you can just plug into your USB connection. I did not get the opportunity to mount it and fire it at a range, so that part of my review you'll have to do without, but the system as a whole is excellent and I would certainly consider it over the SPECTERIR, which is now pending extinction.

The two things I did not care for were the flip up lens cap and the battery installation box/area. The flip-up lens was sort of clunky and floppy. It was kind of a nuisance really. The battery box was not only difficult to find, but also difficult to open and get the batteries in.

Overall, the Renegade is a state-of-the-art thermal imaging device (weapon sight really) and has the features you would expect in an up to date thermal device and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to purchase a Thermal weapon sight.

Morovision Night Vision Announced as
ITT Authorized Distributor for Law Enforcement Market

DANA POINT, CA., July 3, 2008 - Morovision Night Vision, Inc., a leading supplier of U.S. manufactured night vision equipment since 1991, officially named as the authorized U.S. law enforcement distributor of ITT Night Enforcer® products—most notably the Night Enforcer NEPVS-14 model and associated parts and accessories.

The Night Enforcer NEPVS-14, based on the military product AN/PVS-14, is a Generation (Gen) 3 monocular device that allows the user to adjust the gain control in varying light conditions. It is the most widely fielded night vision device for law enforcement. This versatile unit can be handheld, head- or weapon-mounted or adapted to a camera or camcorder. [More information...]

ITT Night Quest line discontinued...

It appears that the ITT Night Quest line of night vision products has been discontinued and that the Night Enforcer line of products will take it's place. Night Enforcer has typically been a product line marketed directly to the law enforcement agencies, but will now include all the commercial markets.

It's official - Fusion of I² and Thermal is finally here:
http://www.nightvision.com/news/news_detail.asp?news_ID=47" target="_blank"

It will be interesting to see how the system detects which technology to use given a particular environment. I think that is where the crux of it's effectiveness as tool will be proven. The fact that the two different technologies have been combined into one system is monumental (no doubt), but what situation or environment actually dictates which technology is used at a given moment will be tell-tale of the demand for it as a tool. I couldn't find an image provided directly by ITT, but here's a link to what it probably looks like: http://images.pennnet.com/articles/mae/thm/th_4-envgmountedfront.jpg" target="_blank"