Anyone recognize the night vision optics that the keffiyeh-donning operator at the center of this photo is wearing? They look to me like Tactical Night Vision Company's AN/PVS-21 Low Profile Night Vision Goggles (LPNVG).
We did a little write up on Tactical Night Vision's tricked out, slimmed down NVGs a few months ago. They're up to four inches slimmer than standard NVGs, have improved peripheral vision and automatically adjust to increases in ambient light. This means wearers won't be temporarily blinded if they walk into a lit room or someone shines a light directly at them.
But, as we said before, the coolest feature of the AN/PVS-21 is its ability to project mission data onto the goggles -- giving the wearer a heads-up display that he can even use to aim a weapon around corners without exposing himself:
The LPNVG has two inputs for the optional Heads Up Display module that allows the operator to connect the 21 to any electronic device with a BNC-Out Connector, enabling real-time overlay of mission critical information onto the night vision image. This system interfaces with everything from thermal weapon sights (allowing the operator to place the weapon around a corner and engage targets without exposing himself), FLIR, PC’s (allowing real time data streaming from a laptop in the operator’s pack), and vehicle systems. The image is projected over one of the see-through lenses and can be adjusted for transparency so the operator can still see the regular night vision image through the overlay, maintaining situational awareness.
Notice how similar the operators' kits are in the photo above (taken last Valentines Day) when compared to those seen in the famous photo of the Kiwi SAS troops who helped end the Kabul Intercontinental hotel siege in June. The main difference is the radio unit worn by the man in the photo above.
It appears to be Silinx' badass Micro C4OPS headset system. This software-based radio is similar to low-profile ones worn by U.S. Secret Service agents except this one features wireless earpieces and can even enhance normal hearing or provide active noise reduction.
Here's another photo where you can clearly see an operator's LPNVGs and the Micro C4OPS radio being worn.
Thanks to tipster Paul for sending the photo our way after spotting it on Basetrack's photo stream.
