Have you ever dreamed of owning a pair of night vision goggles? I read a book once about a guy who bought one of these devices so he could “see in the dark.” That sounded very cool, and ever since then I’ve dreamed of getting my own pair of NVG’s.
In my research on the topic I’ve found there are basically five different generations of the technology: Generations 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. Each generation is an improved version of the previous one.
Here’s the Story…
Night vision technology was originally developed during World War II. The United States and German armies both developed devices that enabled them to continue combat after dark. Before this, night time maneuvers were extremely dangerous.
The technology designed by the United States is known as Gen 0. These were “active” devices that required the use of a large infrared illuminator to capture a usable image. The United States also used Gen 0 devices during the Korean War.
Night vision goggles came into more widespread use during the Vietnam war with the creation of Starlight technology, or Gen 1 night vision. These units were “passive,” and functioned by gathering only the ambient light available. Moonlight was needed to get a usable image and they amplified the light by about 1000x.
Improvements have continued until today with increases in the degree of light amplification, resolution, grade of optics, durability, and signal-to-noise ratios.
Gen 2 devices increased light amplification to around 20,000x making it possible for them to be used on moonless nights. Gen 2 also increased performance with more effective optics, resolution and intensifier tubes. Many of the latest goggles, binoculars and monoculars come with included infrared illuminators that dramatically increase their performance in total darkness.
Gen 3 Night Vision is the US Military Standard
Gen 3 devices are standard issue for the United States military and are also popular in law enforcement applications. Gen 3 offers increased performance in a number of ways: better image resolution, light amplifications of 30,000x to 50,000x, plus an improved service life for the intensifier tubes. Service life is a critical requirement for military applications.
Finally, Gen 4 was developed to bring additional gains in performance and function, and these devices do deliver significantly increased performance specs. However, as a result of changes made to the intensifier tubes, Gen 4 units don’t meet military service life requirements.
Night vision technology has changed the way we do combat. And use of these devices has also trickled down into other important areas. They have become indispensable in night time security and marine applications, especially harbor navigation after dark. Night vision goggles have also enabled park rangers and approved hunters to track dangerous animals after dark. So these devices are not only fun but useful!
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