The Ultralight Articulating Night Vision Binocular “Katana Ruggedized” with 20 UM Unfilmed White Phosphor 3rd Generation tubes

January 2024- we are transitioning over to the new “Ruggedized Katana” housing, all metal. All the same features of the polymer Katana but in a metal housing. We are told we will start seeing Ruggedized Katana housings in bulk starting the end of January/early Feb.  Any orders received between now and then will be not be shipped before then. Highly suggest you phone in the order as that way we will be able to delay the charge until the order is ready to ship.



The Ultralight Articulating Night Vision Binocular – Katana Ruggedized (UANVB-R) “Katana Ruggadized” is a articulating binocular housing made of high strength aerospace grade 7075-T6 aluminum. Using advanced multi-axis CNC machining an ultra lightweight and robust design is achieved, including an optimal single piece pod geometry. This binocular includes features such as individual pod stow shutoff, IPD stops, user adjustable pod tension, and low battery indicator. The device is powered on-board by a single CR123A for a continuous runtime of ~25 hours, and equipped with a LEMO port for external power pack use to achieve extensive run time.



Material(s)

CNC machined 7075-T6 & 6061-T6 aerospace grade aluminum, aerospace Grade 4 Titanium.

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Finish

Mil-standard Type III class II hard anodize, H-Series Cerakote

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Tube Type

18mm MX-10160  L3 unfilmed  (this listing) or Elbit thin filmed (other Katana listing)

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IR Illuminator

No

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Individual Pod on/off

Yes, individually.

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Housing Weight

4.93oz / 0.30 lbs / 140g

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Device Weight Standard

18.73oz / 1.17lbs / 530.98g




Device Weight Lightweight

w/o battery

15.48oz / 0.96lbs / 439.0g

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On-Board Power

CR123A onboard with a runtime of ~25hours

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Out-Board Power

Yes, LEMO port

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Low Battery Indicator

Yes

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Manual Gain Control

No

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Ingress rating

Exceeds IP-68, and MIL-STD-810H
Note- RPO lenses may seem easier to turn than standard PVS14 lenses, we have confirmed with RP Optics that this is normal.



Received from a recent Katana customer-

Below is a review for the Katanas:
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As an NVG Instructor, I appreciate good tubes.

These are off the charts, in all aspects. Weight. Balance. Clarity. Brightness. Auto Gain. These are the lightest dual tubes I have worn.

Having had these tubes for a month, and 40-50 hours on them already, I have not had a single issue. These. Just. Work.

While Phosphorus – I have always used green tubes. These WP tubes are next level fantastic.

Battery Life – I am surprised at how long a single 123 battery will last, in these. I know I got 30 hours of run time, out of one batt, and know it would have gone longer, if I hadn’t broken two rules: 1. Always pull your battery after you are done using, for the night. 2. Always check your tubes to see if they are on, and you missed Rule 1, before you put them back in the box.(Instructor Note: always put your investment back in the box, when you aren’t wearing them, and always, always protect your glass!)

I am new to the concept of lifting your tubes away, individually, instead of folding the package up. This is a life changer. Lots of clever little reasons why you will want this in your world. After ten hrs, it becomes as natural as walking. You can fold them up, still, but you won’t need to…

Handy tips:

Set the mount as far from your face as possible – you get better peripheral that way.

If you are new to dual tubes, purchase, or make, a small counterweight pouch for the back of your helmet. Yes, i said that these tubes were amazingly light, but everything needs balance. As you strengthen your neck, the counter balance will help – also a good spot to store an extra 123 batt, or two…

Function tip – when using the Lo-Sto mount, you need to unscrew a small block, at the lower, aft area of the mount. Five small screws, with tension springs, and a set pin come out (keep them, and the block, in a baggie) this block is for a different mount, but needs to come off, for use with the dovetail of the Katanas (zero issue – can’t hurt it).

Use the bungee cords on your helmet! There are two tiny rings on the aft portion of the assembly block, on the goggles. Hook the bungees to these rings. Bungees are cheap, the locking mechanism works good, but goggles are expensive…

Good hunting…

Joe B.

The Katanas offer the best value in an Articulating American Made housing that is available without a long lead time!-JRH

This model Katana ships with L3 Harris 20 UM WHITE PHOSPHOR TUBES with a 2000 FOM minimum tube spec!

Available also with RPO LIGHTWEIGHT OPTICS! Save weight with these new RPO lenses that are optimized for White Phosphor tubes. Note- RPO lenses may seem easier to turn than standard PVS14 lenses, we have confirmed with RP Optics that this is normal.  Use the options menu to upgrade to RPO lightweight optics (objective and eye piece lenses) or call to order.

These units ship with a FREE custom hard case.

What customers have to say about these units:

Katana binos
11/01/2022
Awesome, flawless tubes. Happy with the articulation and auto shut off features. Delivered super quick. Glad I finally bit the bullet and ordered these.


Two tube options-

Thin filmed 3rd Gen White Phosphor YH high grade-
Katana-R with WP3 High grade YH tubes


UNFILMED 3rd Gen White Phosphor 20UM filmless-
New Katana- R ruggedized housing with White Phosphor 3rd gen UNFILMED 20 UM tubes




912.379.9441
912.375.1480

Some more pics of the new Katana R housing.

These won't be shipping in quantity for about a month or so I'm told. I had a sample.



Here is a close up of the improvements to the power switch area. Some had concerns on the old housing that the switch could be accidentally pressed. That never happened to me in the almost 3 years I've run Katanas. The button is a firm press. Even handing mine to dozens of students at our classes, I never found that it was accidentally turned on.

But with the little "cage" around the power switch now, this should nullify any fears of accidentally turning the unit on.




The other thing I was impressed with- although seemingly a "small" thing- was the quality of the screws used. A few years back we got in some of the Argus 1431 housings. The cheap little screws used in that Argus housing did NOT impress me at all. Those, among some other concerns, kept us from moving forward with the Argus 1431 housings and we ended up just selling off the housings to a dealer.

The screw quality on the Katana R is solid.

Another discussion on the Katana R

Katana R/dual tubes discussion on Arf