http://www.peosoldier.army.mil

PM Soldier Sensors and LasersOctober 2009

PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICE SOLDIER

Product Manager

Soldier Maneuver SensorsEnhanced Night Vision Goggle (ENVG), AN/PSQ-20

The AN/PSQ-20 Enhanced Night Vision Goggle (ENVG) increases individual Soldier mobility and situational awareness day or night in all weather and degraded battlefield conditions.

The ENVG provides increased capability by incorporating image intensification and long-wave infrared sensors into a single, helmet mounted, passive device. The ENVG provides the capability to rapidly detect targets while maintaining the ability to use rifle-mounted aiming lights.

A digital upgrade package for the ENVG will take advantage of image processing techniques to improve the image clarity and situational awareness for the Soldier. A digital system lends itself to the battlefield of the future with the ability to import and export digital files (data/map injection).

Specifications

Man-sized target (standing and moving) recognition requirements:

• 80 percent probability at 150 meters, given a detection

• 50 percent probability at 300 meters, given a detection

Total System Weight: 2 pounds, including 4 AA batteries

Continuous operation: 7.5 hours, continuous fusion, plus an additional 7.5 hours of image intensification only with no battery change

Compatibility: All multifunction aiming lights currently in the Army inventory

Operational reliability: ≥350 hours mean time between system abort; ≥260 hours mean time between essential function failure

Product Manager

Soldier Maneuver Sensors

The U.S. Army has always taken pride in its night-fighting skills and equipment. Now Soldiers engaged in combat in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom have equipment with the latest technology to enhance their ability to fight at night: the AN/PSQ-20 Enhanced Night Vision Goggle (ENVG).

The ENVG is being fielded by Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier, the Army acquisition agency that develops, acquires, and fields nearly everything a Soldier wears or carries. PEO Soldier views the individual Soldier as the center of the Army, and is committed to providing Soldiers the best equipment available. To that end, the state-of-the-art ENVG will allow Soldiers to “See Always, Acquire First, and Target Once”—the key objective behind sensor and laser products.

The ENVG is a helmet-mounted passive Image Intensification (I2) and thermal device that incorporates both I2 and long-wave infrared sensors into a single integrated system. It weighs two pounds, including the battery pack and its four AA batteries, the helmet mount, and wiring harness.

“You can really tell where a person is, where a vehicle is, a lot more than with just regular night vision,” said PVT Andrew Busch of the 10th Mountain Division, whose Soldiers were the first to receive the ENVG. “When I first put mine on, it was clear right away. I didn’t have to adjust it at all.”

“Our mission at PEO Soldier is to strive constantly to improve on current capabilities to save and improve the quality of Soldiers’ lives, while we simultaneously enhance their ability to accomplish their missions,” said BG Peter N. Fuller, the Program Executive Officer for Soldier Equipment. “When it comes to sensor and laser systems, this system achieves those ends.”

In 2000, the U.S. Army began development of a fused imaging system. Feasibility studies resulted in a concept to combine a thermal camera with an image intensification sensor into an integrated helmet-borne system, something that would provide Soldiers the ability to see in total darkness while still enabling them to see details and to use weapon-mounted aiming lasers.

Although the AN/PVS-14 Monocular Night Vision Device, the predecessor to the ENVG, has been very popular with Soldiers for its smaller size and reduced weight, the Army wanted to augment the capabilities of the AN/PVS-14.

“The AN/PVS-14 does a fine job in low light conditions.” said SGM Thomas W. Coleman, PEO Soldier’s Senior Enlisted Adviser. “By incorporating a thermal camera, the ENVG increases individual Soldier mobility and situational awareness, day or night, in all weather and degraded battlefield conditions.”

The ENVG also facilitates faster threat recognition and thereby reduces the possibility of collateral damage and fratricide.

Several engineering enhancements to the ENVG improved its fit and function—for example, putting the battery pack on the rear of the helmet provides better balance and increases comfort as well as stability. In addition, the system is now more compact and easier to stow when it is not in use, which enhances Soldiers’ maneuverability. Another benefit of the ENVG is its compatibility with aiming lasers currently in use, allowing for a fully integrated system of thermal, laser, and image intensification.

Soldiers’ feedback on the ENVG has been overwhelmingly positive. CPL Anthony Peden, noting the U.S. Army’s longstanding advantage in fighting at night, said, “Now, with the infrared technology and the night vision capability all wrapped into one, we’re 20 steps ahead.”

“I think the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle is an outstanding piece of equipment,” said LTC Robert Freyland of the 10th Mountain. “It looks like something out of the movie ‘Predator.’ ”

The fielding of the ENVG is a tangible example of the commitment that the Army’s senior leadership has to providing equipment that increases combat effectiveness, saves lives, and improves the quality of life for every U.S. Soldier around the globe. A digital update for the ENVG is currently in development to take advantage of image processing techniques that can improve image clarity and situational awareness for the Soldier. With a digital ENVG system, Soldiers on the battlefield of the future could import and export digital files.

The ENVG is a big step in that direction. “It’s harder for the enemy to hide now from us,” Freyland said. “We own the night.”

AN/PSQ-20 Enhanced Night Vision Goggle Two Technologies Combine for Superior Night Vision