The Many Faces of Night Vision Monoculars

Night vision gadgets like monoculars play a very big role in the success of military operations. Civilians like us often see this type of gadget on TV and in the movies and think about how useful these night vision monoculars would be for non-military activities like hunting, camping, and for security purposes as well. Monoculars with night vision capabilities have been around for decades now, and contrary to what most people believe, are no longer exclusively used by the military. In fact, there have been several generations of night vision monoculars produced throughout the years and each generation of monoculars produced were eventually made available to the public and are normally attached to cameras and used by security companies to add more coverage to their nighttime surveillance cameras. Some scientists use this gadget to monitor wildlife as well.

Night Vision Monoculars: Then and Now

Several types of monoculars with night vision capabilities have been produced for military and civilian use throughout the years. Each generation of monoculars is defined by the new technologies and features used to improve the gadget. Unlike most products that keep getting upgraded that begin with Generation 1, night vision monoculars begin with Generation 0. To learn more about the evolution of this important piece of technology, we need to take a look at each one from the beginning.

·         Generation 0 – The first generation of monoculars was introduced in the 1950s. The idea behind this gadget was simple. Using an invisible infrared (IR) light source mounted onto the scope to illuminate the area you wish to view, images are converted to something more visible in the dark. The need for an invisible IR light source makes this generation of monoculars quite bulky. 

·         Generation 1 – Image intensification technology was introduced in the 1960s, right in the middle of the Vietnam War. This next generation of night vision monoculars was equipped with three image intensifier tubes which were connected together in a series. The result was crisper, clearer images than the previous version, but the number of image intensifier tubes caused this generation of monoculars to be quite heavy.

·         Generation 2 – The need for monoculars that were lighter and easier to handle increased in the 1970s. This prompted the development of a night vision monocular with a microchannel plate (MCP) electron multiplier that enhanced the target images without having to lug around a heavy piece of equipment.

·         Generation 3 – In the late 70s and early 80s, the monocular evolved into something a bit more sophisticated. Using the 2^nd generation as a starting point, developers of this technology added an ion barrier film on the MCP to increase the tube’s operational life and gallium arsenide (GaAs) photocathode to improve the monocular’s performance, enabling it to cover greater distances and capture images in darker environments.

 

·         Generation 4 – This was developed in the 90s as an upgrade to the previous model. It uses the same technology, except that the ion barrier was removed to increase sensitivity and reduce the appearance of haloes. Unfortunately, it did not meet the military’s quality standard and it was redeveloped to have a thinner film to achieve the same effect without sacrificing quality.

Today, night vision monoculars can be purchased in stores that specialize in hunting equipment or from companies that sell and install security cameras. These monoculars use the same technology that the military does, but they have been made compact and more portable to make it easier an