In mid-1943, the German Army began the first tests with infrared night-vision ( German: Nachtjäger) devices and telescopic rangefinders mounted on Panther tanks.

AEG started developing the first devices in 1935. Night-vision devices were introduced in the German Army as early as 1939 and were used in World War II. In 1929, Hungarian physicist Kálmán Tihanyi invented an infrared-sensitive electronic television camera for anti-aircraft defense in the UK. Under this periodization, the period prior to the end of World War II has sometimes been described as Generation 0. 1.1.4 Generation 3+ (GEN III OMNI IV–VII)Ī retrospective classification of NVDs into 'generations' was initially introduced by US manufacturers, through the US government.Consequently, they are available for a wide range of applications, e.g. The technology has evolved greatly since their introduction, leading to several 'generations' of night-vision equipment with performance increases and price reductions. Night-vision devices were first used in World War II and came into wide use during the Vietnam War. They are often used in conjunction with IR laser sights which project a beam onto the target that is only visible through an NVD. An NVD may have an IR illuminator, making it an active as opposed to passive night-vision device. Many NVDs include a protective sacrificial lens, or optical components such as telescopic lenses or mirrors.

The term usually refers to a complete unit, including an image intensifier tube, a protective and generally water-resistant housing, and some type of mounting system.

NVDs are most often used by the military and law enforcement agencies, but are available to civilian users. The image produced is typically monochrome green, because it was considered to be the easiest color to look at for prolonged periods in the dark. The image may be a conversion to visible light of both visible light and near-infrared, while by convention detection of thermal infrared is denoted thermal imaging. Device that allows images to be produced in levels of light approaching total darknessĪ night-vision device ( NVD), also known as night optical/observation device ( NOD) and night-vision goggles ( NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows images to be produced in levels of light approaching total darkness.

Stg 44 night vision