SCHOTT North America

06-16-2008, SCHOTT North America, Inc.

SCHOTT’s NightViper Optical Scope Allows Soldiers on Night Operations to View Around Corners or Inside Buildings Before Entering

NightViper’s Fiber Optics Helps Soldiers See without Being Seen with New Robust, Flexible Optical Scope.

(At Eurosatory - Paris) – SCHOTT’s Fiber Optics Defense Division introduced NightViper here today - a flexible, rugged optical scope, designed for nighttime urban use by infantry and Special Forces. When attached to standard night vision goggles, NightViper allows soldiers to view around corners, under doors and through holes in a building. The scope is cased in a rugged housing flexible enough to be coiled and placed in a backpack. It is designed to operate through extreme temperatures, humidity and other physical stresses expected in combat situations and environments.

The NightViper vision imaging system consists of a wound fiber optic bundle that-- when coupled to the objective end of a standard 18mm night vision monocular system -- transmits a coherent image through the bundle to the night vision device. This provides an intensified image of the surroundings, a feature designed to help identify potential threats to the dismounted soldier in an urban nighttime environment. While remaining behind cover, a soldier will be able to bend the flexible NightViper scope around corners or insert the small 14 mm lens through almost any opening of interest and observe any activities within the optics range.

Individual NightViper units can range from 2-6 feet in length, depending on the tactical requirements. The standard scope comes with a numerical aperture of 0.6 and has excellent light gathering ability that can be viewed with a 4x4 mm imaging area. NightViper can also be outfitted with an infrared LED Illuminator near the objective lens. This is similar to the IR illumination currently available on the monocular, and which is designed to be used at the soldier’s discretion in extreme low light levels or when additional illumination is required.

“The NightViper is about saving soldier’s lives,” said Rick Miller of SCHOTT’s Fiber Optics Defense Division. “When conducting nighttime urban operations, soldiers need the ability to see what lies ahead or around the corner and to identify potential threats or hostile targets. Buildings, corners, doors, windows, and vehicles can now be safely explored with NightViper – while keeping the soldier safely out of harm’s way.”

NightViper attaches easily via a C-mount adapter to currently available 18 mm night vision monocular systems. Its robust construction stands up to the rigors of a combat environment. At 5.8 grams per foot the NightViper is readily portable for any dismounted soldier.

The NightViper fiber optics are enclosed in several different kinds of robust sheathing that allows for some very tight bend radiuses. The standard outside sheathing color is black; however the sheathing sleeves are available in a variety of single colors as well as camouflage patterns.

SCHOTT’s NightViper fiber optic bundle is expected to operate in hostile environments. Climate changes of –40º C to 125º C will be the common specification, with the outside jacket able to withstand temperatures as high as 150º C. All of the jacketing materials are flame retardant and self-extinguishing, enhancing the survival abilities of the NightViper – and the troops who use it.