User Panel
Great start, thanks for sharing!
Vic |
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Tactical Night Vision Corporation - TNVC, INC.
http://www.tnvc.com [email protected] (909) 796-7000 http://www.tacticalgunfan.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=369&Itemid=74 |
I'll add a few that are manufactured in Iran
NVS-700 Shabanoor 1001 Night Driver Periscope. Shabdiz SA230 Note: edited out faulty links. Notice the mounting on the Shabanoor 1001 ? It's the same head-mount socket that the US military use for the PVS-7/14. I believe a lot of this equipment was made under license from US companies, so it's probably exactly the same as US equipment. David |
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looks like the nv cat is completely out of the bag
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Si vis pacem, para bellum.
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I smell a TACKY thread coming up! Nice work guys!
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Tactical Night Vision Corporation - TNVC, INC.
http://www.tnvc.com [email protected] (909) 796-7000 http://www.tacticalgunfan.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=369&Itemid=74 |
FWIW, the IDF used to use the Akilah exclusively and switched to the Lior. My unit received our Lior scopes during our deployment on the border of Lebanon. Some people love them, some hate them compared to the Litton Akilahs.
The Lior is 3x, fixed focus, with a reticle similar to the IDF Trij reticle. The Akilah has its own unique reticle, and is a 4x variable power optic. Both use AA batteries. The Akilah weighs in at twice the weight of the Lior! |
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Fantastic thread! The spec data is especially interesting. Thanks to all for posting this stuff!
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Originally Posted By cj7hawk:
Japanese PDF-14 Night Vision Scope. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/070907-jgsdf.jpg/800px-070907-jgsdf.jpg Gosh, is it just me (or the camera), but that 14 looks HUGE on his head! |
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Tactical Night Vision Corporation - TNVC, INC.
http://www.tnvc.com [email protected] (909) 796-7000 http://www.tacticalgunfan.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=369&Itemid=74 |
Originally Posted By last_lancer:
Evil commie stuff includes Cyklon Shahin - first Russian TWS available on the civil market, sort of local ELCAN SpecterIR :) http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q35/flex297/CyklonShahinmilitaryTWS.jpg http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q35/flex297/CyklonShahinmilitarysight2.jpg http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q35/flex297/CyklonShahinmilitarysight4.jpg Now two devices of CS6000 HTWS class.. Russian MilSpec NPZ 1PN116 heavy thermal weapon sight and Chinese HTWS with 640x480 uncooled sensor mounted on their HSAI LR2A 50cal sniper rifle http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q35/flex297/NPZ1PN116thermalsight.jpg http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q35/flex297/HSAILR2A127mmrifleChina.jpg 640x480 is quite good. Only a few US systems are using "hi-def" 1080x768 right now. Most systems are still 320x240. I'm suprised the Chinese are producing this system- wonder where they got it? |
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Ident Marking- We're pretty good at speling stuff on gunns.
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Originally Posted By karma:
Originally Posted By last_lancer:
Evil commie stuff includes Cyklon Shahin - first Russian TWS available on the civil market, sort of local ELCAN SpecterIR :) 640x480 is quite good. Only a few US systems are using "hi-def" 1080x768 right now. Most systems are still 320x240. I'm suprised the Chinese are producing this system- wonder where they got it? The Beauti 0602 manufactured in India ( Uncooled thermal ) with a resolution of 852x600 would be considered high-def and is weapon mountable. The technology required to produce electronics is a lot less complicated than the technology required to produce high-end vacuum devices with MCPs. There are already high resolution CCDs that have been made sensitive to SWIR/MWIR and even LWIR in the lab... In another decade, anyone who can manufacture a computer chip will be able to make thermal devices and most of this research is going on outside of the US. David. |
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Made in Taiwan... It's not just what you find in the toy section anymore -though it certainly looks like it - Jiun An Technology make stuff that looks almost like a toy version ripoff of US devices - Except it's comparable with Gen3 or XD4. PR of around 700 and up to 72 lp/mm/ NVS-14 That plastic looks nasty, yet for some reason it really appeals... The advertising slogan is good too - "Better than anything you can export from the US!" That's too funny, though sadly true. The "Brand" is Raysun.... I suppose that got lost in the server translation too. It still looks plastic, but it's probably quite effective. There's some video, but it's a better example of incredible zoom - About 27x - It's a telescope designed to attach to NVDs. Video - high zoom There's a PVS-7 knockoff as well - NVS-7 NVS-III - Something for the 40YO kids... This company makes security and police devices as well as military so despite the cheap plastic look, these are probably highly functional devices. David |
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Originally Posted By cj7hawk:
Japanese PDF-14 Night Vision Scope. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/070907-jgsdf.jpg/800px-070907-jgsdf.jpg I would bet that that scope is an American AN/PVS-14, note he is wearing a USMC issue light weight kevlar with MARPAT cover. US made helmet mount as well. mrf2 |
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I know it's a contentious subject, but Japanese technology in this area rivals the US. They use NV for research quite extensively and are more than capable of making very advanced tubes. Some of their 3rd generation tubes provide an order of magnitude more gain than the best available US tubes - with gain figures nearing a million ( Best US are about 100,000) and with a >1500 uA/lm GaAs PC. They also make InGaAs tubes which can see laser designators and illuminators that are invisible to US NV devices - up to a full 300nm higher than Gen3 and that allow "Night Glow" to be utilised- ie, every night looks like full moon. They also make both filmless and filmed GaAs tubes.
Hamamatsu Tube Information It could be a US tube in the picture, but given Japanese national pride I'd take a stab at it being a Hamamatsu. Then again, sometimes it's easier to just buy whatever's available. I can't really base that on any evidence since I can't see what tube is in it - Though Last Lancer might actually know for certain. David |
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This thread exemplifies the importance of active IR discipline.
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Originally Posted By murderman:
This thread exemplifies the importance of active IR discipline. I think the picture above also highlights the need for weapons discipline... Obviously the soldier in the back has never seen pulp fiction. But you're right about IR discipline. From a military perspective it's important to remember that an aiming laser is like tracer - it identifies your position to the enemy also. Using active IR is also going to be a problem inside dark buildings. I don't think that the US encountered a lot of enemy equipped with Night Vision in recent conflicts though that's clearly not going to be the case much longer. Despite ITAR ( or maybe even because of it ) insurgents will eventually get hold of NV gear and will be able to use it as well. I went up against a foe equipped with night vision equipment a long time ago on exercise. It wasn't a pleasant experience and highlighted to me the importance of such equipment on the modern battlefield. A single person went around while I was on Sentry duty and took several weapons from sleeping sentries. I was fortunate enough to be awake and I heard him. Peering into blackness, I knew he was only meters away and I was sure I was pointing my SLR right at him, but the only thing I saw in the three minutes this went on was the ignition flash of the flashbang just before it went off in my face ensuring that I couldn't see anything as they ran off. At least I didn't lose my rifle but I have no doubt he was toying with me before he got tired of it. The problem is that there's not enough NV gear to go around. It's a critical piece of kit that you need now as much as you need your rifle. Even the US suffers from a lack of gear there but I think it was fairly widely deployed in Iraq even if soldiers were still using Gen2 at times. In places like India, only around 10% of the armed forces have any night vision ( including very old stuff ) and some of their tanks can't drive at night at all. Give it three or four more years though and there will be a lot more Night Vision equipment available. Even if it is Gen2, there's not that much difference between modern Gen2 and Gen3 and it's possible that the US may one day even face an enemy with SWIR NVDs which then makes the US Gen3 useless. David. |
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Originally Posted By cj7hawk:
Made in Taiwan... It's not just what you find in the toy section anymore -though it certainly looks like it - Jiun An Technology make stuff that looks almost like a toy version ripoff of US devices - Except it's comparable with Gen3 or XD4. PR of around 700 and up to 72 lp/mm/ NVS-14 /// The "Brand" is Raysun.... I suppose that got lost in the server translation too. It still looks plastic, but it's probably quite effective. There's a PVS-7 knockoff as well - NVS-7 This company makes security and police devices as well as military so despite the cheap plastic look, these are probably highly functional devices. David David, you are quite wrong this time.. These devices are Russian-made, only front lens look domestic. The 'RaySun' is nothing else but a venerable 'Russian PVS-14', called Katod NVM. Is it also included in this thread in one of my responses. The PVS-7 knockoff is Russian Katod ONV-2 goggle. It is also known under the name Alpha-1034. Everything from 'Shenzen Ronger factory' you have listed is Russian, as well. Goggles and monos by Katod and Dipol, weapon sights by Dedal |
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Originally Posted By cj7hawk:
More Russian Equipment - Mainly as used by the Spetsnaz - YUT-1M http://spetsnaz.su/inspiration/index.php?sfpg=Z2Vhci9vcHRpY3MvbmlnaHRfdmlzaW9uL1l1VC0xTS8qNjkyOTkyOTMuanBnKippbWFnZSoqY2UxNDRmNDNjN2FkMzlhOWJjNGU0ZDg0ODFhOGVlMjA I'm not sure how stable the images are - Let me know if they disappear. David Do you folks recognize this device? Fairly well known in the States, as well, called N-Vision Optics GT-14.. |
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Originally Posted By cj7hawk:
I know it's a contentious subject, but Japanese technology in this area rivals the US. They use NV for research quite extensively and are more than capable of making very advanced tubes. Some of their 3rd generation tubes provide an order of magnitude more gain than the best available US tubes - with gain figures nearing a million ( Best US are about 100,000) and with a >1500 uA/lm GaAs PC. They also make InGaAs tubes which can see laser designators and illuminators that are invisible to US NV devices - up to a full 300nm higher than Gen3 and that allow "Night Glow" to be utilised- ie, every night looks like full moon. They also make both filmless and filmed GaAs tubes. Hamamatsu Tube Information It could be a US tube in the picture, but given Japanese national pride I'd take a stab at it being a Hamamatsu. Then again, sometimes it's easier to just buy whatever's available. I can't really base that on any evidence since I can't see what tube is in it - Though Last Lancer might actually know for certain. David David, Hamamatsu are well known in the lab intensifier business. They don't do any MilSpec stuff yet. But they are well known for being able to make any tube you can order and pay. Thus, there already was some effort made to let them do tubes in slim-ANVIS configuration, these are called V6833P, they are Gen3 with fairly good specs. Of course, MilSpec tests require much more than just pure performance, whether this tube would be able to pass thru drop test or to withstand rifle recoil remains a mystery. Here some images, tech data, as well as a shot made through the Hamamatsu V6833P. |
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Originally Posted By last_lancer:
Originally Posted By cj7hawk:
I can't really base that on any evidence since I can't see what tube is in it - Though Last Lancer might actually know for certain. David David, Hamamatsu are well known in the lab intensifier business. They don't do any MilSpec stuff yet. But they are well known for being able to make any tube you can order and pay. Thus, there already was some effort made to let them do tubes in slim-ANVIS configuration, these are called V6833P, they are Gen3 with fairly good specs. Of course, MilSpec tests require much more than just pure performance, whether this tube would be able to pass thru drop test or to withstand rifle recoil remains a mystery. Here some images, tech data, as well as a shot made through the Hamamatsu V6833P. Thanks for the info LL. The Hamamatsu specs are already held to a "higher" standard than Milspec in some areas - The Limiting resolution (Min) for Hamamatsu is 5% MTF whereas for US Milspec it's 3% - That's quite a significant increase in performance for the Hamamatsu tube and would (should) translate to a higher resolution for the Hamamatsu if compared "apples for apples". Also I doubt it would be a Weapons Grade tube in the 14 and you are correct that you can't just go and use a research grade tube for military purpose and expect that it will behave as well as a Milspec unit. I thought the Chinese just manufactured the Russian units under "license" - It certainly looked a little rougher around the edges than I would expect from something made in Russia... But I'll defer to your knowledge there since you've seen a lot more of them than I have - I did track down the video output model on a russian site and it looks like it's a modified version of a standard russian device - Do you know if the Russian model has CCTV output as well? David. |
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This thread HAS to be a tacky. WAAAY too much info here to lose.
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If we already mentioned Russian NV devices, let me complete the picture by showing at least few hi-spec image intensifiers.
Russians have at least three big factories for the tubes and they produce a wide variety of types, it's almost impossible to cover them all since they have more formats that Americans do. It's sufficient to say, that next to direct drop-in replacements for MX-10160 and MX-10130 tubes they also have various versions of these with different contacts. Further types include slim tubes with straight output, shortened MX-10130s (only 22,5mm long instead of 29,4mm) or the in the US long abandoned fat-ANVIS types. All these formats exist in both Gen2+ (S25) and Gen3 (GaAs) configurations, while each generation has three subtypes, A, B and S. It could roughly be compared to 'Select Alpha', 'Select Beta' and 'Special category'. Translated into numbers: Gen3 GaAS A type - 57 lp/mm, SNR 24, 1800 micA/lm, 150 mA/W B type - 51 lp/mm, SNR 22, 1500 micA/lm, 180 mA/W S type - 64 lp/mm, SNR 25, 1800 micA/lm, 180 mA/W Gen2+ S25 A type - 57 lp/mm, SNR 22, 550 micA/lm, 35 mA/W B type - 51 lp/mm, SNR 20, 500 micA/lm, 45 mA/W S type - 64 lp/mm, SNR 24, 600 micA/lm, 50 mA/W MTBF for all types is 10000 hours, max. EBI 0.25 Note that Russians, too, have export regulations, although not based on FOM but on cathode sensitivity. Everything over 350 micA/lm requires export permit. Another export parameter is 'hole' diameter in the MCP, 12 micron is the boundary value, I think.. |
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Originally Posted By last_lancer:
Note that Russians, too, have export regulations, although not based on FOM but on cathode sensitivity. Everything over 350 micA/lm requires export permit. Another export parameter is 'hole' diameter in the MCP, 12 micron is the boundary value, I think.. This is the same terminology that ITAR uses - though the specification is about twice what ITAR allow - From ITAR. Note: Special Definition. For purposes of this subparagraph, second and third
generation image intensifier tubes are defined as having: A peak response within the 0.4 to 1.05 micron wavelength range and incorporating a microchannel plate for electron image amplification having a hole pitch (center-to-center spacing) of less than 25 microns, and having either: (a) An S-20, S-25 or multialkali photocathode; or (b) A semiconductor photocathode; I think they use the Micron measurement since it's absolute and was based on manufacture rather than lp/mm which can change depending on the tube and would create an international market in "failed" tubes that were only just sub-par. Australia's version of ITAR is even simpler... They just use "Microchannel Plate" as the differentiator. David. |
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Great job you Two. Nice to see all these scopes from around the world. We don't get to see much of this here in the US.
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Bump up and considering a tacked thread here?
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Tactical Night Vision Corporation - TNVC, INC.
http://www.tnvc.com [email protected] (909) 796-7000 http://www.tacticalgunfan.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=369&Itemid=74 |
so i guess there is going to be a difference between" hole diameter " and "center-to-center spacing" depending on the thickness of the bits between the holes - makes it dificult to compare the two - |
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Originally Posted By TNVC:
Bump up and considering a tacked thread here? I would like to see it up, Victor |
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Ident Marking- We're pretty good at speling stuff on gunns.
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LL, CJ and to all the rest, GREAT thread....This deserves a TACK
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Tactical Night Vision Corporation - TNVC, INC.
http://www.tnvc.com [email protected] (909) 796-7000 http://www.tacticalgunfan.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=369&Itemid=74 |
Meopta has always been underrated in our eyes, their optics are VERY good. It is VERY interesting to see their MRS atop their NV platform LL is showing. They are ahead of the curve compared to most. Just recently (last year) when SOCOM solicited for a new MRS, they finally had a prevision that all NV dedicated optics along with magnified optics were to have provisions for mounting a MRS. I might also add MEOPTA is also using our Scope Accessory Ring on their line of optics as well and their MRS is also being considered by SOCOM along with a few other big name players most know.
Vic |
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Tactical Night Vision Corporation - TNVC, INC.
http://www.tnvc.com [email protected] (909) 796-7000 http://www.tacticalgunfan.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=369&Itemid=74 |
Meopta has always been underrated in our eyes, their optics are VERY good. It is VERY interesting to see their MRS atop their NV platform LL is showing. They are ahead of the curve compared to most. Just recently (last year) when SOCOM solicited for a new MRS, they finally had a prevision that all NV dedicated optics along with magnified optics were to have provisions for mounting a MRS. I might also add MEOPTA is also using our Scope Accessory Ring on their line of optics as well and their MRS is also being considered by SOCOM along with a few other big name players most know.
I have been slowly changing out all my optics to Meopta. Most people have never heard of them before, but for the money they are very hard to beat. Great glass! A friend of mine who is a dealer was telling me they made alot of highend stuff for vehicle weapon systems overseas. |
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Yes, they are doing lot of vehicle based systems and fire control systems, but also high-end medical stuff (X-Ray image intensifier tubes etc.)
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Damn....
I guess we don't own the night anymore |
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No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms
Thomas Jefferson How fucked are we as a Nation that two dudes kissing is more acceptable than an American holding a rifle or serving his Country |
Originally Posted By FREEFALLE7:
Damn.... I guess we don't own the night anymore I've been preaching this for a long time now to the powers that be.... |
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Tactical Night Vision Corporation - TNVC, INC.
http://www.tnvc.com [email protected] (909) 796-7000 http://www.tacticalgunfan.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=369&Itemid=74 |
Originally Posted By FREEFALLE7:
Damn.... I guess we don't own the night anymore That was to be expected, anyway. The opponents have already developed tanks, fighter aircraft, assault rifles, APVs and SAMs, it would be straight insane to think that they absolutely omitted night vision devices. |
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I'm all out of extra images to post... LL, you are still the "King" of NV :) David. |
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Found some Australian night vision.
Believe it is called a Dave Industries PVS-514 with a US Gen 2 Seems like a nice piece of kit ! Engineered by our friends Down Under. http://aunv.blackice.com.au/cgi-bin/nightvision/forum?index=projects&story=monocular Nice work and job well done ! |
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