| The Night Vision Store & The OpticstoreDuring the | | | | generations that reflect the level of technology used. |
| history of warfare, operations at night have always | | | | The higher the generation, the more sophisticated the |
| been degraded significantly, if not totally avoided. | | | | night vision technology.Generation 0 - The earliest |
| Typically, soldiers fighting at night have had to resort to | | | | (1950's) night vision products were based on image |
| artificial illumination, e.g., at first fire and later with light | | | | conversion, rather than intensification. They required a |
| sources such as searchlights. The use of light sources | | | | source of invisible infrared (IR) light mounted on or near |
| on the battlefield had the detrimental result of giving | | | | the device to illuminate the target area.Generation 1 - |
| away tactical positions and information about | | | | The "starlight scopes" of the 1960's (Vietnam Era) |
| maneuvers. The advent of new technologies initially in | | | | have three image intensifier tubes connected in a |
| the 1950's and continuing into the present time has | | | | series. These systems are larger and heavier than |
| changed this situation. The engineers and scientists at | | | | Gen 2 and Gen 3. The Gen 1 image is clear at the |
| the Night Vision & Electronic Sensors Directorate | | | | center but may be distorted around the edges. |
| (NVESD) have discovered ways to capture available | | | | (Low-cost Gen 1 imports are often mislabeled as a |
| electro-magnetic radiation outside that portion of the | | | | higher generation.Generation 2 - The microchannel |
| spectrum visible to the human eye and have | | | | plate (MCP) electron multiplier prompted Gen 2 |
| developed equipment to enable the American soldier | | | | development in the 1970s. The "gain" provided by the |
| to fight as well at night as during the day in order to | | | | MCP eliminated the need for back-to-back tubes - |
| "Own the Night".Image Intensification: Image intensifiers | | | | thereby improving size and image quality. The MCP |
| capture ambient light and amplify it thousands of times | | | | enabled development of hand held and helmet |
| by electronic means to display the battlefield to a | | | | mounted goggles.Generation 3 - Two major |
| soldier via a phosphor display such as night vision | | | | advancements characterized development of Gen 3 in |
| goggles. This ambient light comes from the stars, moon | | | | the late 1970s and early 1980s: the gallium arsenide |
| or sky glow from distant manmade sources, such as | | | | (GaAs) photocathode and the ion-barrier film on the |
| cities. A soldier can conduct his combat missions | | | | MCP. The GaAs photocathode enabled detection of |
| without any active illumination sources using only image | | | | objects at greater distances under much darker |
| intensifiers. The main advantages of image intensifiers | | | | conditions. The ion-barrier film increased the operational |
| as night vision devices are their small size, light weight, | | | | life of the tube from 2000 hours (Gen 2) to 10,000 |
| low power requirements and low cost. These | | | | (Gen 3), as demonstrated by actual testing and not |
| attributes have enabled image intensifier goggles for | | | | extrapolation.Thermal Imaging:Most objects in natural |
| head-worn, individual soldier applications and resulted in | | | | scenes, as well as human beings and manmade |
| hundreds of thousands of night vision goggles to be | | | | objects emit electro-magnetic radiation in the form of |
| procured by the US Army. Research and | | | | heat. Thermal imagers or infrared viewers (also known |
| development continues today on image intensifiers in | | | | as FLIRs) gather the infrared radiation and form an |
| the areas of longer wavelength spectral response, | | | | electronic image for the soldier. Since they do not rely |
| higher sensitivity, larger fields of view, increased | | | | on reflected ambient light, thermal imagers are totally |
| resolution, advanced displays and image fusion.Night | | | | light-level independent. They also have significant |
| Vision technology consists of two major types: image | | | | penetration capabilities through obscurants such as |
| intensification (light amplification) and thermal imaging | | | | fogs, hazes, and conventional battlefield smokes. There |
| (infrared). Most consumer night vision products are light | | | | are two varieties of thermal imaging systems: cooled |
| amplifying devices.Light amplification technology takes | | | | and uncooled. Cooled thermal imaging requires |
| the small amount of light, such as moonlight or starlight, | | | | cryogenic cooling. Lower performing uncooled thermal |
| that is in the surrounding area, and converts the light | | | | imaging systems require no detector cooling but have |
| energy (scientists call it photons), into electrical energy | | | | sufficient performance to provide the low to medium |
| (electrons). These electrons pass through a thin disk | | | | performance required by individual soldier sights, |
| that's about the size of a quarter and contains over 10 | | | | infantry vehicles, navigation, robotics and missile |
| million channels. As the electrons travel through and | | | | seekers. Present research and development in cooled |
| strike the walls of the channels, thousands more | | | | thermal imaging are pursuing multi-spectral imaging, |
| electrons are released. These multiplied electrons then | | | | improved sensitivity and resolution, and embedded |
| bounce off of a phosphor screen which converts the | | | | signal processing to aid the soldier in target acquisition |
| electrons back into photons and let you see an | | | | missions. Current uncooled research is directed at |
| impressive nighttime view even when it's really dark. All | | | | smaller size packages and power consumption with |
| image intensified night vision products on the market | | | | lower cost and increased sensitivity, resolution and field |
| today have one thing in common: they produce a | | | | of view. Small, palm-sized uncooled thermal imagers |
| green output image. In the night vision world there are | | | | are now available. |