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Through a Glass, Darkly: Night Vision Gives US Troops Edge
Defense Industry Daily ^ | February 24, 2010

Posted on 02/24/2010 11:03:41 PM PST by myknowledge

It was Christmas Eve 2007 and US Army Rangers were searching for suspected Al-Qaeda members in Mosul, Iraq. They were using their night vision goggles so they would have the element of surprise on their side. The story, detailed in a USA Today article, dramatically demonstrates the advantage night vision capabilities provide to US troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Rangers found 2 Al-Qaeda suspects who were holding an 11-year-old Iraqi boy hostage. Using their night vision capabilities, they were able to shoot the suspects without harming the boy. After that encounter, a firefight erupted between the Army rangers and Al-Qaeda insurgents, with 10 insurgents killed, including the head of an assassination cell, and no Army ranger losses. As former General Barry McCaffrey, commander of the US Army’s 24th Infantry Division in the 1991 Desert Storm conflict, commented: “Our night vision capability provided the single greatest mismatch of the war.” It still does.

This DID Focus Article will examine how this technology works, how its military application has developed over years, how the technology is used by troops in the field, as well as major DoD contracts for procuring night vision devices…

(Excerpt) Read more at defenseindustrydaily.com ...


TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: miltech; nightvision; nvg; rangers; usarmy

U.S. Army Rangers own the night...

They can see in the dark...

...the insurgents can't.

1 posted on 02/24/2010 11:03:41 PM PST by myknowledge
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To: myknowledge

So now AQ’s will be buying night vision googles at eBay?


2 posted on 02/24/2010 11:10:22 PM PST by hamboy
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To: myknowledge

I want to see us improve this advantage by issuing our frontline fighters a monocular or a weapin sight that can “see” thermal images as well as collect ambient light. Thermals can see bad guys through thick clouds of billowy white smoke and we can fill a neighborhood up with all kinds of smoke in a matter of minutes. Basically, we would be able to exploit our night vision advantage in the daylight.


3 posted on 02/24/2010 11:11:43 PM PST by RC one (WHAT!!!!)
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To: myknowledge

NATO issues directive restricting night raids
A new directive, confirmed Wednesday by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, aims to limit nighttime raids on Afghan civilians. It was prompted by a storm of complaints from Afghans who were enraged over foreign soldiers bursting into their homes. “We didn’t understand what a cultural line it was,” McChrystal said during a luncheon with a group of young Afghans involved in a leadership program.

Not anymore.

http://www.stripes.com/


4 posted on 02/24/2010 11:14:05 PM PST by Jet Jaguar
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To: hamboy
Or they could simply buy this game:


http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/13/modern-warfare-2s-prestige-edition-includes-fully-functioning/

5 posted on 02/24/2010 11:43:07 PM PST by SmokingJoe
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To: Jet Jaguar

No more night raids.....That’s bull$hit man. War is about breaking things and killing the enemy. Truthfully, what we should do, is start annihilating this enemy into oblivian and then p/u the pieces.


6 posted on 02/24/2010 11:45:49 PM PST by rambo316 (Take Back America)
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To: hamboy

Buy? Our current pResident needs to get down wih his Muzzie homies. He’ll just hand it to them.


7 posted on 02/25/2010 12:04:54 AM PST by max americana
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To: myknowledge
U.S. Army Rangers own the night... They can see in the dark...the insurgents can't.

So what? They can't shoot at what they see. Maybe they can go up to the enemy and read them their rights in the dark, if they don't offend anyone. Otherwise, forget it.

8 posted on 02/25/2010 2:49:49 AM PST by Talisker (When you find a turtle on top of a fence post, you can be damn sure it didn't get there on it's own.)
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To: hamboy

They already do but it is hard to keep them powered. They apparently don’t have the capability to keep the batteries coming.


9 posted on 02/25/2010 3:33:53 AM PST by arthurus ("If you don't believe in shooting abortionists, don't shoot an abortionist." -Ann C.)
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To: myknowledge

They have to go out at night. Look at those dorky helmets! ; )


10 posted on 02/25/2010 4:27:50 AM PST by Caipirabob (Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: myknowledge
US lifts ban on ITT night vision exports; Lockheed Martin gets $90 million Apache helicopter pilot night vision contract

This is just crazy . Wonder who approved this, Eric Holder?.

11 posted on 02/25/2010 6:29:26 AM PST by opentalk
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To: myknowledge

You haven’t lived until you’ve flown with full face AN/PVS 5s and a counterweight.


12 posted on 02/25/2010 6:41:25 AM PST by TADSLOS (Tea Party. We are the party of NO! NO to more government! NO to more spending! NO to more taxation!)
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