2022-09-26

Engineer manager: Jacky

WhatsApp: +86-18792456795

Email: jacky@mh-elec.com

For some, the PVS-15 NVGs are on a pedestal for the mere fact that it was adopted by USSOCOM.  US Army Rangers in the photo above are using PVS-15s in the GWOT. They were designed and built by Litton Industries before they became L3 Technologies. But how are they as dual tube night vision goggles?

Two Is Better Than One

Just like shooting a red dot on a firearm, using both eyes is better than using one eye. The same goes for night vision. No, biocular devices like the Lucie/O-NYX or PVS-7 do not count. Our vision has evolved into a complex system. So adapting them for night time use, we should take advantage of our natural binocular vision. We perceive the world using two eyes. Each eye takes in a slightly different image than the other eye and our brain stitches these two images together seamlessly. While you can use a monocular like the venerable PVS-14, it is not giving your brain all the information it can get. So the next best thing? Dual tube NVGs.

Take a look at the PVS-15 housing. It is sort of like a set of binoculars. The monocular pods are articulated on a hinge attached to the bridge. They are not fully articulated like the PVS-31 or the DTNVGs. The articulation is Litton’s answer to interpupillary distance adjustment. Each person has a different measurement between their pupils. When even you try using a pair of binoculars you roll the monoculars in or out to fit your eyeballs. The same goes for the AN/PVS-15.

Here is the AN/PVS-15 stored up on the helmet. Articulated binos like the DTNVG or PVs-31 style can roll the monoculars past 90 degrees which shifts the weight of the NVGs closer to the helmet. Making it a lot more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. That is not the case with the PVS-15s.

The PVs-15 bridge design seems big and bulky to me when compared to other binocular NVG designs. The bridge is excessively tall but I think that is due to the helmet designs that this goggle was built around. It was probably first implemented on a PASGT then the MICH and ACH helmets. Those helmets were not that ergonomic and so the mounts sat a little high on the helmet. Which means you need to physically lower the tubes so the soldiers can look through it. With modern helmet designs, this positions the goggles lower than I would like and you need a mount that can adjust the vertical height so you can bring the tubes high enough to see through.

Engineer manager: Jacky

WhatsApp: +86-18792456795

Email: jacky@mh-elec.com