Re: NV Tubes
I saw the post but didn't respond because there's not much I can add. L3 is a bit tight on public information about their tubes, but the basic list can be found here:
http://www.l-3nightvision.com/Image_Intensifiers.html
FOM1250 = export to governments that are friendly, but the US isn't sure they'll always be that way or perhaps they don't have controls in place to make sure these tubes won't go somewhere where they may be used against US troops.
This equates to S/N approx 19:1 or very high Gen2 level. Or Gen3 Omni III quality.
FOM1600 = export to governments that are close allies such as Australia and the UK. This equates to a S/N of around 25:1 or Omni IV/V. These exceed Gen3 Omni IV and V levels and come close to Omni VI.
FOM1800 = About Omni VII/VIII lower level.
FOM UNRESTRICTED = No Limits. Doesn't mean good, just means doesn't matter. Except NOT for export.
DAY/NIGHT = Autogated PSU. These are not for export.
So, based on that and the link, here's an approximate answer...
Exportable tubes.
ALPHA SERIES, 45 lp/mm (min), Signal/Noise: 17.1:1 (min), FOM: 1250 (max) - About Omni II level.
GAMMA SERIES, 57 lp/mm (min), Signal/Noise: 19.2:1 (min), FOM: 1600 (max) - About Omni III level.
DELTA SERIES, 64 lp/mm (min), Signal/Noise: 21.0:1 (min), FOM: 1600 (max) - About Omni IV/V level.
US Market only.
OMEGA SERIES, Resolution: 64 lp/mm (min), Signal/Noise: 21.0:1 (min) AUTOGATED. Cheap commercial tube quality.
INFINITY SERIES, Resolution: 64 lp/mm (min), Signal/Noise: 25.0:1 (min), AUTOGATED. Very good quality commercial tubes and lower end military use.
DEFENDER SERIES. No specifics release. Expect S/N 29:1 min, 64 lp/mm min, Omni VIII, AUTOGATED - Typical FOMs probably somewhere around 2000 to 2200 but no promises.
That last bit is opinion and is very general... Don't take it as gospel.
Regards
David
