Operational Experience and Research Directions in Military Night Vision Equipment

Over the last twenty years, significant progress has been made in the technical development of night vision equipment. There are a number of different approaches. Image intensifiers amplify ambient light so that it can be presented via phosphor displays including those embedded within night vision goggles. This technology relies upon light from the stars or moon, as well as from man-made sources, such as the background light generated from cities. These applications are, typically, light weight and low cost. They are suitable for individual soldiers using head-mounted or weapon-based attachments. However, there are disadvantages. For instance, individuals can become dazzled and disoriented when systems fail to react fast enough when they are exposed to bright sources of light, such as the beams of a truck. Current research on image intensification focuses on improving the response to longer wavelength signals, on increasing the sensitivity and reducing the noise generated during the amplification process and on improving the presentation of images through increasing the field of view and available resolution.