The U.S. Army this month tested groundbreaking new enhanced night-vision goggles complete with an “augmented reality” feature that military leaders say will prove invaluable in combat. Soldiers at Georgia’s Fort Benning — part of the U.S. Army Futures Command’s Soldier Lethality Cross Functional Team — tested the new device, known as the “Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular,” or ENVG-B. The goggles already were outfitted with dual thermal and infrared sensing capabilities to deliver greater clarity to soldiers in the field, particularly in situations where their vision is compromised by weather or other factors.
The goggles now have been equipped with game-changing 21st-century features, including “augmented reality capabilities” and a display that integrates wirelessly with a soldier’s weapon. Officials say the features not only will give soldiers a much greater picture of the field of battle by providing map overlays and other technological aids, but also could allow them to “detect and even fire on a target around an obstacle. Soldiers tested the new systems during field training exercises this month. The training included a week of marksmanship training on the range, a week of nighttime situational training exercises, and a 72-hour field training exercise.
L3Harris Technologies has delivered 656 combat-ready Enhanced Night Vision Goggle – Binocular (ENVG-B) systems to the US Army as part of a contract. The delivery is part of the initial order received by the company in 2018 under the $391m ENVG-B directed requirement contract from the US Army.
In 2019, L3Harris Technologies Completes Sale of Harris Night Vision Business to Elbit Systems of America. Following the delivery, the first unit of the army is fully equipped with next-generation night vision technology. The technology enhances the soldier’s ability to locate and engage threats. It gives access to the common operating environment imagery.
The ENVG-B includes a new high-resolution display and an embedded soldier wireless personal area network, rapid target acquisition and augmented reality algorithms to interface with the U.S. Army’s Nett Warrior. The complete system will interface with the Army’s family of weapon sights, while enhancing interoperability and data sharing. The ENVG-B is the Army’s first heads-up display that is both day and night capable. Soldier feedback to developers also enables users to either flip the goggles to a single eye for a different vision field and to move them sideways when not in use, rather than only overhead.
