GPNVG-18

GPNVG-18
Manufacturer(s)	L3Harris
Type	Panoramic
Tube Format	MX-10160
FoV	40° / 120°
Mount	Wilcox Dovetail or Ball Detent
Objective(s)	Proprietary
Eyepiece(s)	Proprietary

Used by special forces around the world, the GPNVG-18 are the first panoramic night vision goggles developed for infantry use.

History

Development

Early Tests and Prototypes

In 1993, the U.S government conducted a survey among its air crew operatives on requested improvements on night vision technology used by the army. The two most requested improvements were increased field of vision, and increased resolution.

Around 1995-1997, work began on developing a PNVG (panoramic night vision) device, with first conceptual devices being created.. Before, to achieve a wider field of vision, the night vision tubes had to be "stretched", which heavily decreased the resolution, which was a trade-off that pilots did not agree on making. With the addition of four night vision tubes however, it enabled the user to keep the standard resolution and increase the field of view, keeping the standard 40 degrees of night vision devices, and adding 30 degrees on each side, giving the used 100 degrees of field of view, as opposed to standard 40 degrees.

in 1998, the concept prototypes of a PNVG were shipped to to F-15e pilots and tested. The weight, comfortable design, the visual accuracy and the usage of nvg tubes that were back then currently shipped, were comparable to standard F4949 (AN/Anvis-9) goggles used at the time, and outshined competition. Designated Aviator's Night Vision Imaging Device (ANVIS-10), were put into production.

Usage of ANVIS-10 in combat

Crews of the AC-130 Gunship, Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt, MC-130 Combat Talon and C-17 Globe Master all eventually fielded ANVIS-10 device.

in March 27th to April of 2002, a trial was conducted at Fort Benning to analyze just how big of a part field of view plays to acquire and eliminate targets. It was found that the PNVG did not improve target detection time in any capacity, however it did improve the number of targets the user was able to detect, especially at close range. The test, while flawed (targets were placed in ways in which a 40° night vision device was able to detect, meaning the creators of the trial did not account the usage of peripheral vision by the PNVG user), proved that panoramic night vision device was not beneficial in every combat scenario, however proved to work well in close-quarters combat.

in the 2000s, special forces groups fielded the ANVIS-10 system for ground forces on deployments, with oldest pictures of soldiers equipped with ANVIS-10 dating as far back as 2003. ANVIS-10 however was not created for usage on ground operations in mind, it was finicky, difficult to customize, and wasn't created in mind for the ruggedness of ground operations.

Due to this increased intrest on panoramic night vision device, development on a ground forces version of the PNVG-18 began. It is unknown when the L3 Harris version began development, however what is known or seen today is that the L3 Harris GPNVG-18 system had every problme that the ANVIS-10 had studied and ironed out, introducing a rugged modular system that operated better in extreme temperatures, with maintenance and customisation in mind.

Usage of L3-Harris GPNVG-18 in Combat

First known account of L3 Harris GPNVG-18 being used in a combat scenario is the famous Operation Neptune Spear, in which Seal Team 6 operatives were fielded the GPNVG-18 during a night raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound, in a attempt to assassinate him as retaliation for the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks at World Trade Center, which proved to be successful. According to the firsthand account of a DEVGRU soldier who participated in the night raid of Osama Bin Laden's compound in May 2011, he and his team were using the GPNVG-18 for the operation.

The Ukrainian conflict with Russia, which began in 2014 and heavily intensified following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, saw the usage of GPNVG-18 by the Ukrainian SOF units around the early to mid 2020s likely supplied by western allies which support Ukraine.

in December 2024, tens of dozens of South Korean special forces operatives were spotted wearing the GPNVG-18 on mass during the very brief Martial Law period declared by the then president Yoon Suk Yeol. Due to the sheer number of GPNVGs being used during the operation, along with masses of South Korean protestors trying to break the Special Forces blockade, there was at least one confirmed instance were a GPNVG-18 found lying on the floor, abandoned by the Special Forces operative during the brief political crisis.

Modern Users

Today, many wealthy western-alligned countries that boast elite special forces units use the GPNVG-18 system, like the Ukrainian SOF, Turkish Navy Commandos, German Army KSK, Dutch NLMARSOF, German Navy KSM, French Air Force CPA-10, US Army Delta Force, Australian Tactical Assult Group-East and South Korean special forces.

Upcoming Newer Models

In 2019, L3 Harris showed off the F-Pano system, which integrates thermal vision with holographic vision as the next-generation panoramic night vision system. In 2022, they annouced that the F-Pano system would begin production for the USSOCOM.

Pop-Culture

As the movie Zero Dark Thirty (2012) dramatizes the raid of Osama Bin Laden's compound, the replicas of the GPNVG-18 were worn by the actors of the soldiers.

The independent movie director Evan Royalty released the movie SCP: Dollhouse (2019) on Youtube, based off the collaborative-writing wikis-styled website SCP Foundation, in which special forces unit of the aforementioned foundation use the GPNVG-18 during a night raid on a house suspected to be haunted with paranormal activities. Evan Royalty would release a year later the sequel to Dollhouse titled SCP: Overlord (2020), in which SCP Foundation's special forces soldiers heavily use GPNVG-18s. Both Dollhouse and Overlord have combined amassed 31 million views on Youtube.

The GPNVG-18 can also be seen on characters in the movie The Contractor (2022), used by private military company operatives, and in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), used by the French Army operatives.

The first video game appearance of the PNVG however (and even further, in pop-culture media overaIl) is attributed to the game Alpha Protocol (2010), where G22 Operatives seem to wear ANVIS 10s or something of similar nature.

Medal Of Honor: Warfighter (2012), released just two months before the premiere of Zero Dark Thirty, boasts the first ever depiction of GPNVG-18, as based off the first-hand accounts of special forces operators that were done during the development of the game.

In the Call Of Duty frachise, the first appearance of GPNVG's is seen in Call Of Duty: Ghosts (2013) in promo art and is worn by one of the characters during a mission. GPNVG’s would return to the franchise in 2019 with the rebooted Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare sub-franchise of the series. The player gets to use the panoramic night vision device during several missions in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) such as the missions Clean House, Going Dark and The Wolf's Den, where the goggles are used primarily by the SAS and the CIA special forces. Specifically thanks to Modern Warfare (2019) and memorable missions like Clean House did the GPNVG enter futher public concious as part of the "ultimate special forces unit soldier" aesthetic of military pop-culture. The GPNVG reappeared in Call Of Duty Modern Warfare II (2022) and Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023) in missions Kill Or Capture and Operation 627.

Due to the popularity of the Rebooted Modern Warfare games, the zombie survival franchise with military elements, Resident Evil, featured it in it's 2021 eighth installment, Resident Evil Village (2021), used by special forces unit Hound Wolf Squad. Perticulary, Wolf Hound Squad uses the new model, the L3 Harris F-Panos, Panoramic night vision goggles with integrated thermals, which might be this model's first media appearance.

is furthermore featured in the video games Escape From Tarkov (2016), and in Ground Branch (2018).

GPNVG also makes it's appearance in the newer Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon games, such as in Wildlands (2017), and in Breakpoint (2019).