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"

L-3 Communications buys Northrop Grumman's Night Vision Division...

"LOS ANGELES - March 12, 2008 - Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has signed a definitive agreement to sell its Electro-Optical Systems business for $175 million in cash to L-3 Communications (NYSE:LLL). Completion of the transaction, subject to customary conditions including Hart-Scott-Rodino approval, is expected in the second quarter of 2008. Electro-Optical Systems, a part of the company's Electronic Systems sector, produces night vision and applied optics products and had sales of approximately $190 million in 2007. Headquartered in Garland, Texas, Electro-Optical Systems has approximately 1,000 employees."

Interesting... L-3 already owns EOTech, Thermal-Eye, and number of other businesses. It will be interesting to see what they do with it. I'd give it about 2 years and we'll see. My only concern is that most companies can only do one thing well. Conglomerates usually produce only mediocre products at best. Keeping a good thought. Sometimes change is for the better.

I was just thumbing through the "Galls" Catalog - 2008 - "The Authority in Public Safety Equipment and Apparel". NOT. While the Generation 2+ and 3 tube based night vision equipment probably work "well", the housings are not compatible with most, if not all of, the U.S. Mil-Spec accessory equipment available in the market. If you want lower priced equipment for camping. Buy it. If you want high-performance night vision equipment for critical and demanding applications, buy ITT or Northrup-Grumman U.S. manufactured night vision equipment. That's all.

This year (2008) at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, there wasn't a whole lot of talk about night vision fusion with thermal. Didn't seem to be a hot topic. However, it is known that the product is currently being developed as I have heard that helmet mount companies have already started to develop mounts for it. Look for the product within the next year or so, I'd say. It's probably already being field tested. We shall see. Be prepared. Night vision and thermal imaging in a small helmet mountable system will not be cheap. Without a doubt.