Army to equip soldiers with new sensors for night targeting.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.
• Position: Homeland Security News

The wars of the past decade exposed weaknesses in Army technology for infantry troops. Close-combat equipment such as night vision goggles and weapon sights are bulky and drain batteries fast. In bad weather and darkness, soldiers want better visibility so they can correctly identify targets. They also want to be able to aim their weapons without exposing themselves to enemy fire.

The Army believes it has an answer: A wireless network that connects soldiers' night vision goggles with weapon sights. The idea is that if a soldier can receive the image of the target directly on his night vision goggle, he doesn't have to bring the weapon up to the eye. In a night firefight, having those extra seconds can make a huge difference, says Army Lt. Col. Timothy Fuller, product manager for soldier maneuver sensors at Fort Belvoir, Va.

To bring this plan to fruition, the Army is buying a new version of its "enhanced night vision goggle," or ENVG, and designing a family of sights for different types of weapons. Both devices have to be engineered into a wireless network so the sight can transmit target imagery to the ENVG in real time. The goggle acts as a digital display for the weapon. The goal is to engage targets faster without the soldier having to remove his night vision goggle, Fuller says in an interview.

The helmet-mounted ENVG is the Army's most advanced night vision goggle that lets soldiers see through smoke and dust, and in complete darkness. It combines traditional night vision technology, called image intensification, with thermal sensors. Image intensification amplifies non-visible particles of light to a level of brightness that the human eye can detect. A thermal, or infrared, imager senses the temperature differences and warmer items appear brighter on a display.

The new class of thermal weapons sights are being designed with target acquisition software to allow the transmission of weapon sight imagery into the soldier's goggles.

The Army plans to spend the next three years on this project. It will take that long to acquire the updated goggles and weapon sights and make them function together in a seamless network that can endure the rigors of combat.

It could be a tough road ahead, considering the troubles the Army experienced in the development of ENVG and past difficulties with soldier electronics gear.

The first generation of ENVG generated many complaints from soldiers. It was heavy and consumed too much power. The Army fielded...