Night Vision Day-Night Observation System Mk I

[One-Eyed Jack]

This afternoon I got the last few parts for my day/night observation system. It's built around a Zeiss Spotter 60 with five Picatinny rails attached to the top and sides. The Spotter is mounted on a Gitzo fluid head held by a Gitzo tripod that I've had for 30 years.

In addition to the Spotter 60, the five rails hold:

* PVS-14 with 3x magnifier
* GCP-2B laser (175mw) for long-range IR illumination
* BE Meyers CIRIS IR LED source for short to medium-range illumination
* BE Meyers GLARE laser for target designation without NVDs
* Zeiss Z-Point red dot for rapid target acquisition with the Spotter 60

I haven't tried it yet as a system and have to wait until next week to get it into the dark in the NV desert. Here are some pix:

I've also acquired a TVS-5 (5.8x) that seems to work very well, although it's quite a chunk. I manufactured a tripod adaptor for it using an M60 machinegun mount; the TVS-5 now mounts securely on an ancient Bogen tripod. I will keep my "one eye" busy and compare it to the PVS-14 with 3x magnifier next week.

 

[jwsnydes]

Re: Day-Night Observation System Mk I

Where does the espresso come out?

 

[NoveSPR]

Re: Day-Night Observation System Mk I

Simply amazing! McGuyver!

 

[NoveSPR]

Re: Day-Night Observation System Mk I

FYI. I saw an Izlid 1000 listed on Ebay this afternoon. T'would be a nice compliment to your rig.

 

[One-Eyed Jack]

Re: Day-Night Observation System Mk I

I have a GCP laser already and it has a output power control that the IZLID does not. Sometimes an IR source can be too bright and look like a light saber in NVDs.

The IZLID 1000 is a very, very long range IR pointer and not an illuminator. The max beamwidth is about 1 degree (Meyers' brochure says 0.8 degree)!! They might be fascinating to play with, but I have no real use for one. The 200P would be a much better choice for an observation system.

 

[NoveSPR]

Re: Day-Night Observation System Mk I

To my understanding, todays JTAC's are cannibalizing these units off of weapons systems and using them for guiding JDAMS and other munitions. Amazing piece of equipment. "Back in my day"... we had the same type of equipment, but it had to be carried in a big ole suitcase! Just aquired and Atilla and am curious to test its intensity.

 

[One-Eyed Jack]

Re: Day-Night Observation System Mk I

I think Archimedes said that if he had a lever long enough and a place to stand he could move the earth. The IZLID 1000 can be used as an illuminator if you standoff far enough. My personal NV observation system has little capability to resolve small targets at 1000 yards, much less two miles. Its illuminator and scope are co-located for compactness, so the optimum pairing would be to have an illuminator that matches the FOV of the scope and is bright enough to illuminate targets at the max distance that the scope can realitically resolve them in sufficient detail. In this case I'm using a PVS-14 with a 3X magnifier with a 14 degree FOV; the IZLID 1000 isn't a good fit as an illuminator.

In practice, I'm guessing that an IZLID 1000 is used for target designation for some laser-guided munitions (a JDAM-equipped weapon is actually inertially or GPS guided, not laser guided), or simply to draw fire on designated targets at night. In an illumination mode, the IZLID can (and has to) stand off a long way while people with NVDs much closer to the target can observe it and take action. With the powerful IZLID 1000, the illuminator and NV observing devices do not have to be colocated. What NV observation equipment could be colocated with an IZLID 1000 used as an illuminator? - there might be some, but I'll bet it's not "ordinary"?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: IR-V</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The IZLID 1000P is an "Infrared Zoom Laser Illuminator Designator." It most definitely has illumination capability, but the standard lens is intended for long-range illumination. For example, at the widest lens angle, projecting at 1,000 yards, the terminal point of the beam is as wide as a four-lane highway. The amazing thing is the incredible intensity of the illumination window at 1,000 yards and beyond. At 2 miles, the beam, at full divergence, is as wide as an eight-lane highway and objects in the illumination window still appear to be in bright sunlight (when viewed with Gen 3 Night Vision scopes).

The lens on the 1000P is about 4x the diameter of the lens on the 200P model; and is threaded (like an SLR camera) for the attachment of additional lenses and accessories. Military operations can acquire thread-in lenses that will give a 10-degree field of illumination with a bright, narrow-diameter aiming point in the center.

IR-V

</div></div>

 

[frankythefly]

Re: Day-Night Observation System Mk I

Nice setup! Looks heavy. I really like those Meyers Lasers. Had one that was a Green laser used it all the time on my last deployment.

 

[NoveSPR]

Re: Day-Night Observation System Mk I

Good point. BTW, I stand corrected on the JDAM.