The new L3Harris NOVA binocular system is ‘the every-soldier goggle’ – and the beginning of a new era for night-vision capability.
Today, direct combat forces gear up with advanced night-vision goggles for their missions. Going forward, L3Harris has a solution for the remaining complement of armed forces – the NOVA™ binocular system.
As armies globally are modernizing their foundational ground-force capabilities, equipping troops to be effective at all times of day and see at night is taking focus.
“We’re meeting the needs of the U.S. Army, militaries around the world and public safety officials by creating a system that delivers critical night-vision functions at scale,” said Brenna Baker, President of Integrated Vision Solutions, L3Harris. “The NOVA binocular system is the night-vision system this generation of warfighters will think of when someone says, ‘night vision.’”
“We’re meeting the needs of the U.S. Army, militaries around the world and public safety officials by creating a system that delivers critical night-vision functions at scale. The NOVA binocular system is the night-vision system this generation of warfighters will think of when someone says, ‘night vision.’”
– Brenna Baker, President of Integrated Vision Solutions, L3Harris
Owning the Night at Scale
The NOVA system is the commercial variant of L3Harris’s proposed Binocular Night Observation Device (BiNOD) system for the U.S. Army, according to Matt Lufkin, Lead, Product Management, L3Harris. Development of the device began in 2021 with a concerted focus on the Army’s chief considerations for a PVS-14 replacement: a low-cost binocular system that can be universally deployed with a common configuration.
“The Army wanted something that could stand the test of time, and this goggle does that,” said Lufkin. “The NOVA system’s design, centered around the integrated tube, is the future of night vision for us.”
While targeting a price point with which land forces can procure a NOVA system at scale, L3Harris’s newest night-vision goggle is not without the features customers come to expect. One of the biggest lifecycle cost reductions comes from the ease of maintenance and reduced downtime of the goggles. If, for instance, an image intensification tube requires replacement, the new USB-C interface means four screws are the only hurdle in swapping out the damaged components and having a functioning system back in the field.
A Complement to Advanced L3Harris Systems
L3Harris still expects Enhanced Night Vision Goggles – Binocular (ENVG-B) and Binocular Night Vision Devices (BNVD) – with enhanced features to identify threats, enhanced battery life and deep immersion thresholds – to be the advanced night-vision systems of choice for direct-combat and special operations forces for the foreseeable future. NOVA is the solution for the remainder of the force structure.
“The first to benefit from a NOVA system is the warfighter, border patrol agent or tactical officer who doesn’t have high-quality night vision,” said Lufkin. “NOVA binoculars are economical to purchase and own. It gives these professionals more military-grade capability than previously available.”
L3Harris is developing a technical roadmap for future versions in the NOVA line, including an enhanced version with a partial heads-up display, attached battery and increased immersion capacity.