Ruggedized Night Vision Goggle (RNVG)

Ruggedized Night Vision Goggle
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Manufacturer(s)	AB NightVision Inc
Type	Binocular
Tube Format	MX-10160
FoV	40° / 40°
Mount	Wilcox Dovetail
Objective(s)	PVS-14 threaded
Eyepiece(s)	PVS-14/AVS threaded
Weight	555 g

Overview

As the name suggests, this housing was developed for a high level of ruggedness. The pods and bridge are machined from 7075 billet aluminum.

The underside of the bridge features exposed power strips instead of cables to avoid the common issue of cable breakage from the pods being moved back and forth for IPD adjustment. In theory, this can lead to problems with the battery discharging or the device failing to turn on in adverse conditions, as the power strips could short out or be damaged, and the metal springs connecting the pods to the power strips could fail to make contact due to debris buildup. However, the device is generally regarded as highly durable and reliable, and is even advertised to be submersible to 66 feet.

Features

• IPD adjustment
• Battery compartment for a single CR123A battery (older iterations: AA battery)
• Power knob with operation identical to AN/PVS-14:
  • Twist clockwise until click to turn on
  • Twist further clockwise and hold to turn on IR illuminator until let go (intended for signaling)
  • From on position: Pull and twist clockwise to turn on IR illuminator
• Wilcox Dovetail style mount adapter
  • Included riser moves Dovetail up and forward, ensuring compatibility with different patterns of mounts
• IR illuminator with the same diameter as AN/PVS-7 IR illuminator, allowing compatibility for focusing assemblies
• Four-pin LEMO port (ANVIS-standard) for external power supply

16mm Version

Lunox RNVG

Although not an official product of AB NightVision Inc, a few European retailers sell a version of the RNVG with key differences.

The main difference is that these devices are designed to be compatible with 16mm image intensifiers with manual gain instead of 18mm without manual gain. This also explains why this version is being sold in Europe, as only Photonis, the biggest European manufacturer of image intensifiers, offers their image intensifiers in that format. To allow the manual gain of the image intensifiers to be usable, the IR illuminator has been replaced with a lever for gain adjustment.

The gain adjustment lever seems to be based on the same design as for RNVG-VG that is scheduled to be released in 2023.

The retailers are:

• ACTinBlack (ACT RNVG ECHO 16mm)
• Lunox (Lunox RNVG ECHO16)

Earlier versions of the device, for example the RNVG-MICRO16 announced by Night Vision Inc. during Shot Show 2020 did not have gain adjustment and featured thinner pods.