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"

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.

I just read an article in the November issue of "Police" magazine about "night vision". Night vision is on the cover. This is exactly how misinformation gets propagated through the industry. When someone does not do their due diligence about night vision and goes ahead and writes an article on it anyways and secondly includes a product, i.e. Supervision, which is technically not night vision at all. First, it is worth mentioning that many of the real players in the industry and market are not mentioned in this article because they didn't pay for an ad in that issue. Second, the Xenonics Supervision does not compare to Generation 3 night vision devices. It just doesn't. It is amazing that they continue with their advertising comparision campaign against Generation 3 tube based devices. It doesn't compare at all. Third, N-Vision Optics is not a "distributor" for ITT. "Dealer" would be the more appropriate word. I tell ya, the night vision industry is truly a "Buyer Beware" market. Without a doubt. If you're looking to purchase night vision, do your homework. You'll figure it out.

There is a new handheld thermal camera made by Thermal-Eye that costs less than $5,000.00. I personally have not had a chance to use it yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing it work and comparing it with the X200xp, it's more expense cousin. It uses the same housing as the X200xp, but the main difference is a lower resolution on the image. As soon as I get to check one out, I will write some more info on my blog here and give a full review.

Recently had the opportunity to check out a "SuperVision" night vision monocular. It operates on a lowlight high resolution CCD image sensor with variable gain control and frame integration to achieve low light viewing performance. It did not match up to a PVS-14 Generation 3 night vision device, contrary to advertisements I've seen. It was unable to view detail from far away. What I personally thought it did extremely well, was display what I call "Night Shadows". If you were to view a dark area with a fair amount of ambient light, but could not see under trees and bushes, because those areas were darker or darker ( what I call night shadows ), the SuperVision enables you to see into those areas from a about 50-75 yards away. It is perfect for that. Would you see more with a Gen 3 PVS-14? Yes. But it will cost you more to see the same thing. Overall, if you're on a lower budget, a SuperVision monocular could make sense for your application, it just depends on exactly what your application is and how serious. If lives are on line, I probably wouldn't recommend it. If keeping on eye on your property or backyard at night, I would very much consider it.

Not really being a weapons expert, I can only give my opinion from a conceptual point of view on the AN/PVS-22 Universal Night Sight. This is the first of it's kind of sighting system that actually allows the use of the magnification abilites of the day scope sitting directly behind the system, rather than infront of it, like most other existing systems. The PVS-22 enables the user to not have to adjust the day scope to the night vision, but rather adjust the night vision to the day scope. At higher magnifications, one wonders how well it can perform, at say 10x or above. The trick is the night vision needs ambient light. Having the night vision sit infront of the day scope allows the objective lens of the PVS-22 to absorb more ambient light and provide better image quality at high magnifications. This is certainly an advantage over having the night vision behind the day scope and snug up to the eye lens where it can't really absorb much stray light.

Conceptually, the PVS-22 makes a lot of sense, but without having tried it out, I can't be certain.

For more information try googling "PVS-22". There's a few sites that carry them, or just click the link here: Google: PVS-22

There are several Night Vision compatible weapons sights to choose from. The choice really comes down to personal preference. One of the newer choices is the Aimpoint M3. Like the M2, the M3 is compatible with every generation of NVD. However, it features a new technology called ACET which allows 50,000 hours of operation on one single battery (on setting 7 out of 10) 500,000 hours of use on NVD setting. Additionally, it's available with 2 dot sizes (2 and 4 MOA). Like the M2, it is submersible to 45 meters (135 feet), not that you'd need to go down that deep anyways. And, it comes comes with replaceable outer black rubber cover or a dark earth brown cover. The NVD (typically a PVS-14 monocular), mounts directly behind the sight, as most do. Expect to pay around $500.00 (U.S) for it.

There are some pretty good images of the AN/PVS-15 Night Vision Binocular at Morovision Night Vision. Seems like there aren't many images of this night vision system out there on the web. It's a very good piece of equipment, if you can afford it, particularly if depth perception is of importance to your objective.

There are some pretty good night vision photos demonstrating the use of a 10x lens with a PVS-14 monocular at: Morovision Night Vision The photos show the differences of using no night vision vs. a 1x lens (typically comes standard with an NVD), vs. 3x Military Magnifier Lens vs. a 1ox Magnifier Lens. The magnification is for real. It looks like it would be a decent piece of equipment to have in your bag, especially if you were doing surveillance.

Here are some great links to learn about night vision technology:

1. How Night Vision Works by Electrophysics This is a great place to begin learning about light amplification and infrared technologies, the differences, etc.. A very well written and easy to read explanation.
   
2. Principles of Night Vision Technology and Devices - Nivitech This is a much more indepth explanation of the different generations and is almost something of a research paper. It is very thorough and provides excellent night vision information.

Good Learning!

PVS-14 COMBAT CARRYING CASE WITH MOLLE-LOK
The PVS-14 Combat Carrying Case features a new and innovative Molle-Lok attaching system designed for Military and Law enforcement applications. The Molle-Lok attaches the Combat Carrying Case to Pals/Molle body armor, load bearing equipment, vests, belts, tactical bags, pouches, etc., etc.. It is constructed of a hard polymer plastic for strength and durability and is large enough to accommodate an ITT PVS-14, 6015, or an MV-14 Ultra Generation 3 monocular. Storage nooks molded into the body allow for spare AA battery storage. This new time saving system lock allows the operator to easily set up gear before each mission and is especially beneficial during low light conditions and maneuvers when taking the night vision monocular off of the weapon or detaching it from a helmet may be necessary. The Combat Carrying Case’s Molle-Lok has been designed with press locking tabs. Once in place it can be permanent. No special tools are required to separate the locking mechanism and remove the case. A must have for any night vision user in a tactical environment or situation. You can find them online at: www.morovision.com

GENERATION 4 NIGHT VISION: THE FACTS

I recently read an article explaining how night vision technology works. I usually read whatever comes across my desk about the subject, even if I already understand it. The article indicates that the U. S. military, the best military in the world, uses Generation 3 night vision technology. Why would the military use Generation 3 technology night vision, when Generation 4 night vision technology exists?

The answer is that the Generation 4 development, was not exactly a more advanced one. Generation 4 night vision was developed at the request of the Army back in 1998. They wanted a Gen 4 tube that had no ion barrier, or protective coating, on the micro-channel plate (MCP). This request was based on preliminary tests that revealed that a filmless tube would increase performance of NVGs (Night Vision Goggles) by 20%, thereby giving U.S. forces a further edge over adversaries. That was good news. Unfortunately, those same tests showed immediate degradation of the new tube because there was no film to protect the photocathode from the harmful ions generated during normal tube operations and the tubes could not meet the 10,000 hours of active life, standard for Gen 3 devices.

Regardless, ITT and Litton both began their separate research on the filmless Gen 4 device. Not long after, as part of a bid to win the Army’s Omni V procurement contract, Litton surprised the industry by proposing the development and delivery of a Gen 4 filmless tube. ITT responded by accelerating the development of it’s own Gen 4 filmless tube, which proved to be quite a daunting task when it came down to it. In the midst of it’s research and testing, however, ITT came to realize that many of the modifications to the system required by a filmless tube, could also be applied to the Generation 3 tubes. Additionally, ITT found that by significantly thinning, rather than removing the protective film, it could achieve the Army-mandated Gen 4 performance and end-of-life reliability requirements.

As a result, the enhanced Gen 3 tube was dubbed the "Pinnacle" because it represented the apex in technological achievement. Photoresponse was 22% better, the signal-to-noise ratio was improved nearly 24%, and the halo effect was reduced from 1.25mm to .90mm. Overall, the Pinnacle tube provided a 20% greater range of vision at night, than the previous Gen 3 tube.
Subsequently, ITT as able to convince the Army to swap the still unproven Gen 4 filmless tubes for the Pinnacle as part of Omni V contract. ITT was able to point out that the life cycle costs of the Gen 4 filmless tube were seven times higher than that of the Pinnacle and by opting for the Pinnacle over the filmless tube, the Army would save in operation and sustainment costs $29 million and $21 million in operation and sustainment costs for aviator and ground force goggles, respectively.

So, while the filmless tube Gen 4 technology exists, it was has not been proven to be better in performance and certainly not proven to be as reliable or durable to this day.

SINGLE BATTERY NIGHT QUEST PVS-14:

The latest night vision development from ITT is the single battery Night Quest® PVS-14 Generation 3 Tactical Monocular. This new version of the popular PVS-14 model is lighter weight and features a screw top battery compartment allowing for more rugged and versatile applications of the unit. The previous dual battery version and a hard plastic pop-top battery compartment that proved over time to not be as effective in unforeseen rugged uses by the military.

Like the dual-battery PVS-14 system, the single battery features variable gain, allowing the user to manually adjust the gain control in varying light conditions. This is the main feature that sets the PVS-14 apart from other night vision units. A built-in IR illuminator is also featured for complete darkness conditions and Automatic Brightness Control (ABC) is included for accidental or unexpected exposures to immediate bright light situations. Using an ITT Generation 3 military style intensifier tube in a compact high performance single AA battery housing this unit can be hand held, head-mounted, helmet-mounted, weapons mounted and is camera and camcorder adaptable. It truly is the most versatile of night vision devices available on the market.

Factory new and back by a comprehensive (5) five year warranty, the NQ PVS-14 is the ideal piece of equipment for all types of applications from military and law enforcement, to recreational uses including hiking, camping, wildlife observation, boating, professional and amateur photography, personal security surveillance and sportsmen, including hunters, target shooters.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NIGHT QUEST AND NIGHT ENFORCER:

What is the difference between a Night Quest PVS-14 and a Night Enforcer PVS-14 manufactured by ITT?

There is no difference. They are exactly the same product. The names used only define the market for which they are intended for by the manufacturer.

In other words, if you buy a Night Enforcer, you are getting a Night Quest. If you buy a Night Quest, you are getting Night Enforcer.

It's all good.

POLICE OFFICERS PREFER THE PVS-14

Sales #s indicate that police officers across the country prefer the PVS-14 Tactical Monocular over most other night vision equipment devices. This is probably due to the versatility of the monocular, which can be handheld, head-mounted, helmet-mounted or weapons mounted, but also from previous training with the device. Many law officers are ex-military officers and have previously been trained using the PVS-14 monocular. Their familiarity with the device more than likely has a lot to do with their decision to purchase it. While SWAT team officers are more likely to weapons mount the monocular behind a day scope such as the Eotech or Aimpoint, beat officers patrolling the neighborhoods and performing security and surveillance missions are more likely to use it as a hand held device.

The combination of these two factors is what typically drives the choice in which device is purchased.

On top of these two factors, is also the fact that the PVS-14 used in the officer's previous military was manufactured by ITT. With over 50 years of technological and manufacturing expertise, ITT industries is the leading manufacturer of night vision systems for the U.S. Armed and Allied Forces producing more than 70% of the U.S. Military's Generation 3 equipment - more than all of it's competitors - worldwide - combined.