seen through the new night vision device of the US military will change the rules of operations.

recently, a picture on the Internet showed the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter seen through the latest night vision device ("enhanced binocular night vision device" or ENVG-B) of the US Army.

photo shows that the helicopter observed through the ENVG-B in the "outline" mode shows the edges of each surface of the helicopter brightly. This mode aims to make it easier for users to quickly identify objects, highlighting the revolutionary functions of new optical devices. It seems that this kind of equipment used to belong to the field of science fiction or games.

This article is an analysis article published in the "War Zone" column of the "The Drive" website in the United States. The author Brett Tingley, I translated and edited it to share with you.

ENVG-B an enhanced night vision device, you can see that there is an infrared thermal imaging night vision device between the two low-light level night vision devices.

this photo was posted to Twitter by the official account of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division of the United States Army. The brigade is usually referred to as the "Lancer Brigade" and is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Washington State. The tweet stated that the UH-60 belonged to another combat unit based in JBLM, the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade. The "Lancer Brigade" also previously conducted joint training with the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade over Seattle and released a video shot in the dark through ENVG-B.

soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, using ENVG-B and related systems to train at the Aberdeen Proving Ground.

In 2019, the U.S. Army first began to equip ENVG-B developed from the early ENVG III. It provides new functions that are better than the old night vision device, can provide higher-definition optical images, and has the ability to pass through dust or smoke. ability. ENVG-B achieved this with an improved image intensifier tube and "thermal fusion" with the field of view from the infrared thermal imaging night vision device ".

a screenshot of the video during the joint training of the "Lancers Brigade" and the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade.

the system also has what the U.S. Army calls "augmented reality", in its current state, it only presents all kinds of information directly in front of soldiers, more similar to pilots wearing helmets with special displays-the information mode they obtain. This includes a "radar (mini map)" similar to the game, which can display the location of friendly forces related to the user, as well as possible enemy units and other waypoints. How this function is equipped with the US military and can be put into actual combat will completely change the combat rules of grassroots soldiers in terms of situational awareness.

contrast: observe the UH-60 helicopter in the dark through the ENVG-B (left) and the older night vision system (right).

ENVG-B, said that ENVG-B can connect to various sensors of the situational awareness system of the US Army's "Nett Warrior" system and realize data exchange, including displaying videos taken by drones. This can provide U.S. Army forces with a new level of situational awareness, enabling them to conduct reconnaissance of enemy targets or positions at unprecedented levels and avoid enemy ambushes.

ENVG-B and FWS-I are wirelessly paired, observation and aiming can be realized in a hidden state.

L3Harris stated that after pairing with the "Weapon Sight Series-Single Soldier (FWS-I)" system, the night vision device can provide new functions, allowing "picture-in-picture" display, and even allowing soldiers to use images from the FWS-I as the main vision of the night vision device. This means that soldiers using the system can hide their weapons in a corner for observation or aiming to avoid exposure and injury. Lieutenant General James Richardson, deputy commander of Army Future Command, said in 2019 that the new night vision was "better than anything I used in my military career".

the field of view when observing through the ENVG-B, pay attention to the "outline" mode at this time, and pay attention to the orientation display at the top to prevent soldiers from losing their way.

as the images and videos released by the 2nd brigade combat team of the 2nd infantry division show, the newly installed ENVG-B system of the us army can permanently change the way soldiers observe the battlefield. In fierce battles, situational awareness is easily lost, especially when the soldier's sight is blocked by dust, smoke or weather conditions, which will cause the risk of accidental injury or collateral injury. It is very valuable to identify a target more clearly, or to understand the threat type or discover potential enemies more quickly. On the battlefield, this means the difference between life and death. All in all, the new ENVG-B can provide a higher level of situational awareness, let the US military firmly grasp the initiative on the battlefield, and let all worries become a thing of the past.