US Army's night vision technology looks straight out of Tron

[Shawn Knight]

Editor's take: As impressive as the tech is, it’s probably safe to assume that this isn’t the cutting edge of what the US military has in its arsenal. The absolute latest and greatest often stays out of the public spotlight as to give those on the front lines an advantage over their adversaries.

The US Army’s Lancer Brigade recently shared footage of what it’s like for soldiers using enhanced night vision googles / binoculars on the battlefield. If your idea of modern night vision involves the grainy green and black imagery often depicted in video games and movies, well, be prepared to be amazed.

The Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binoculars (ENVG-B) uses a fused thermal imager for better target recognition in subpar visual environments like those with zero illumination as well as in dusty or smoky settings. The dual tubed binocular system, meanwhile, is said to improve situational awareness and depth perception, while higher resolution white phosphor tubes provide better contrast compared to traditional green phosphor.

Total system weight, according to the Army Acquisition Support Center, is less than 2.5 pounds (threshold) and 1.5 pounds (objective) while runtime is greater than 7.5 hours (threshold) and 15 hours (objective).

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https://www.techspot.com/news/89528-us-army-night-vision-technology-looks-straight-out.html

 

[VitalyT]

To me it looks more like from the matrix.

 

[duckofdeath]

Really neat, but isn't there a risk with "AI" enhanced vision? Like, "AI" enhanced distractions?

 

[Underdog]

Well, with stuff like this at the cutting edge of battlefield technology we should have little trouble flushing out a few extremist nutters hanging out in places like Afghanistan, etc.

 

[hahahanoobs]

Those goggles plus this:

 

[Nobina]

Well, with stuff like this at the cutting edge of battlefield technology we should have little trouble flushing out a few extremist nutters hanging out in places like Afghanistan, etc.

You've been basically fighting sheep herders with AK47s for many years now while having the best equipment and you couldn't wipe them out. Now you have even better tech but it's in the hands of soldiers more interested in gender sciences than being in a battle.

 

[ypsylon]

Tech is huge advantage unless somebody decides to detonate EMP.

Then you're deaf, blind and alone. Everything relies on tech too much.

Many years ago was listening to debate about armored warfare. And all but one praised US and Western armies blah blah. One prelegent had brain in right place. He said just what I said above. That more 'analog' manual hardware is not bad. You don't need nuclear warheads to create EMP. You can render whole regions completely inert, blind and directionless before even war begins.

Best example is just as recent as Afghanistan. In history of that region only Persian Empire, Alexander III Macedon (the Great) and Genghis-Khan conquered that place. Bunch of heavily bearded cave dwellers defeated 3 biggest superpowers this planet ever seen: British Empire, USSR and now USA. So much for cutting edge tech.

 

[captaincranky]

Best example is just as recent as Afghanistan. In history of that region only Persian Empire, Alexander III Macedon (the Great) and Genghis-Khan conquered that place. Bunch of heavily bearded cave dwellers defeated 3 biggest superpowers this planet ever seen: British Empire, USSR and now USA. So much for cutting edge tech.

Well, the truth of the mater is, "when you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose".
You could drop the entire nuclear arsenals of the US and Russia on Afghanistan, and do maybe $17,00 worth of damage..

Of course, radioactive poppies (Papavera somniferum, Afghanistan's only cash crop), would lead to radioactive smack which would take its toll on junkies and dealers the world around.

Most of you seem to be missing the point that those people are never going to embrace western values or customs. In some instances, that may be for the better.

It's my belief, that as the middle east has been constantly at war since the 12th (?) century, it makes the best venue for advanced weapons testing, and leads to sales of those products, keeping defense employees in gainful employment, the world.around

Although I consider myself a moderate with democratic leanings, I have a deep seated belief that we should treat Tehran to a thermonuclear Christmas "gift", and be done with it.

 

[mbrowne5061]

Tech is huge advantage unless somebody decides to detonate EMP.

Then you're deaf, blind and alone. Everything relies on tech too much.

Many years ago was listening to debate about armored warfare. And all but one praised US and Western armies blah blah. One prelegent had brain in right place. He said just what I said above. That more 'analog' manual hardware is not bad. You don't need nuclear warheads to create EMP. You can render whole regions completely inert, blind and directionless before even war begins.

Best example is just as recent as Afghanistan. In history of that region only Persian Empire, Alexander III Macedon (the Great) and Genghis-Khan conquered that place. Bunch of heavily bearded cave dwellers defeated 3 biggest superpowers this planet ever seen: British Empire, USSR and now USA. So much for cutting edge tech.

You do realize that protecting from an EMP is pretty simple, right? You literally just put the electronics inside of a ferrous-metal box, and you're done. They figured this out in the 50s.

The issue you're actually touching upon is more of an economics ones. Winning a battle by using significantly more resources is called a pyrrhic victory, and it isn't actually a victory if those are the only kind you can win. You'll win the battles and lose the war. If you have to spend significantly more wealth defending and attacking than your opponent needs to in order to match you, then you have only set yourself up for failure.

 

[Underdog]

It seems that the west by selling weapons to both sides is more concerned with making money than peace.