As the sun fell behind the volcanic mountains during a recent exercise on the island of Oahu, home of the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team at Schofield Barracks, soldiers were actually able to see their targets more clearly — just in augmented reality.
Army Futures Command’s latest modernization effort, enhanced night vision goggles-binoculars, gives soldiers the ability to fire at targets at distances over 400 feet without even shouldering their weapons. Depth perception is enhanced on the goggles’ viewing screen while thermal sensors connected to the soldier’s weapon project a view screen with the weapon’s sight and crosshairs. One of 10 “touch points” with soldiers in November, revealed in a recently released video, is a sign of the Army’s rapid modernization and employment in the Indo-Pacific theater.
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A video with the view through the 2.5 pound, helmet-mounted unit produced by L3Harris technologies was recently released by the Army’s Lancer Brigade. Complete with battlefield sounds and a synthesizer backbeat reminiscent of Miami Vice, soldiers and landscape features are enhanced through the goggles and visible in a glowing outline.
The goggle design includes a dual-tubed binoculars system for improved situational awareness and higher resolution in white phosphor tubes instead of traditional green for better contrast. A thermal imager enhances target recognition in low visual environments, and augmented reality gives the image a video game feel.
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The Army says the goggles will give combat forces the ability to observe and maneuver in all weather conditions and during limited lighting and visibility. The development process ensured that soldiers were testing and providing feedback during the two years of development.
Since the goggles are wirelessly connected to soldiers’ weapons, soldiers can engage a target while remaining behind a wall or around the corner. The Army will now begin distributing the goggles to combat units.
