Marine Corps distributing 1,300 new night vision devices at base

The U.S. Marine Corps has begun distributing about 1,300 helmet-mounted binocular night vision goggles to its infantry units.

Marine Corps Systems Command accelerated the acquisition of the Binocular Night Vision Goggle II using existing Defense Logistics Agency contracts for the new system that helps Marines see through smoke, fog and concealment better than other devices.

Marines received the equipment and learned how to use them last month at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The units were tested at other locations, Barbara Hamby, public affairs team leader with Marine Corps Systems Command, told United Press International.

The Department of Defense is accepting contracts for an estimated 16,000 additional systems for the Marines.

The first priority is to issue goggles to the Marine Rifle Squad and eventually the entire Ground Combat Element, program officials said.

"We have employed a bridge capability to give Marines the best gear right now available in the commercial marketplace," Lt. Col. Tim Hough, program manager for Infantry Weapons, said in a statement. "A final procurement solution will allow a larger pool of our industry partners to bid on the program."

The goggles are lighter than the current system and allow for better depth perception when moving.

The squad binocular night vision goggles combine a binocular night vision device and an enhanced clip-on thermal imager. They help positioning in reduced visibility.

"The lethality that it'll bring is exponential," said Cpl. Zachary Zapata, a Marine who participated in the training. "With these new [BNVGs], having the ability to not only use thermal optics along with it, but just the entire depth perception and speed that we can operate in is going to significantly increase, as opposed to what we were able to do in the past."

The devices, which are mainly being distributed to Army units, include "picture-in-picture" mode that lets the shooter see two different directions at once, Army Times reported.

L3 Insight Technology makes the binocular night vision device while Optics 1 manufactures the clip-on thermal imager. And Wilcox Industries fabricates the Dovetail, which is used to mount the device to a Marine's helmet.

Army/Navy Portable Visual Search devices, or AN/PVS, have been used by the military since at least the 1990s.

"Right now, we are participating with the Army on their next generation night vision systems, both the enhanced night vision device-binocular and integrated visual augmentation system programs," Hough said. "We are eager to see the maturation of these capabilities for adoption to improve the effectiveness of our Marines."'

Last May, L3 Technologies was awarded a $391.7 million contract for enhanced night vision goggles for the U.S. Army.

Related Links
The latest in Military Technology for the 21st century at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

AECOM gets $9M Army contract for assault breacher supplies
Washington DC (UPI) Jan 25, 2019
AECOM Management Services Corp. received a $9 million contract for equipment and parts used on the Assault Breacher Vehicle. The firm-fixed-price contract, announced Thursday by the Department of Defense, includes the Army's purchase of linear demolition charge systems, spare parts and data items for the vehicle weapons system, a heavily armored minefield and complex obstacle breaching system based on the Abrams M1A1 tank chassis. The system is also capable of carrying and firing rockets ... read more