Night vision revolution: AR transforms military tactics
Ukrainian special forces possess ENVG-B night-vision goggles. This equipment not only allows for night vision but also provides exceptional capabilities thanks to augmented reality (AR). How can the military utilize augmented reality?
Ukrainian special forces soldiers have received unique equipment. The ENVG-B goggles, offered by the company L3Harris, enable users not only to see in darkness but also to access abilities far beyond human vision capabilities.
The AN/PSQ-42 Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-B (ENVG-B) was introduced to the world in 2019 and ordered by the U.S. armed forces, including both the Army and the Marine Corps. The ENVG-B goggles represent a groundbreaking combination of a night vision device (light amplifier) and a thermal imaging device (heat radiation recorder) with a scope, a heads-up display, a compass, and a laser target designator.
The most recognizable feature of this equipment is the merging of night vision and thermal images, overlaid with an additional, computer-generated graphics layer (augmented reality – AR) that highlights the contours of objects.
In practice, the user not only sees in the dark and perceives differences in temperature—such as recognizing a person hidden behind an obstacle or bush—but with AR, opponents in the field of view are highlighted.
Beyond the "super sight" function, with the ENVG-B goggles on their head, soldiers can more easily navigate, access images from, for example, drones, and use an electronic sight mounted on a weapon. This allows them to aim by just pointing the weapon around an obstacle without exposing themselves to gunfire.
Moreover, with the integrated target marker, they can highlight an opponent in their field of vision. Objects seen with the ENVG-B can be designated for aviation or incoming guided artillery shells, like the M712 Copperhead supplied to Ukraine by the United States.
AR goggles for the military
According to information appearing on the Telegram platform, this super-modern vision system is used not only by Americans but also by Ukrainian Special Operations Forces soldiers. It's currently unclear how many ENVG-B sets Ukraine received and which specific units are equipped. Undoubtedly, soldiers using it will have an advantage over opponents during nighttime operations.
The ENVG-B goggles aren't the only equipment of their kind—Microsoft developed a strengthened, military variant of their Hololens goggles called the IVAS (Integrated Visual Augmentation System) for the U.S. Army. Aside from features similar to the ENVG-B, IVAS also offers facial recognition, text translation, and the ability to display drone images.
The use of AR goggles in Ukraine is one example of the technical revolution that augmented reality is bringing to armed forces — currently limited and not yet on a large scale.
Augmented reality for F-35s
An early form of its use has been HUD (heads-up displays), applied since the 1960s (initial, imperfect solutions of this type appeared even earlier during World War II), which have gradually gained ground in other sectors, like the automotive industry. Thanks to HUD, pilots can see not only the most important flight information but also graphically highlighted targets, and more.
In addition to HUD, helmet-mounted displays are also used today—advanced variants of such solutions are utilized by F-35 pilots. For this aircraft, the HMDS Gen III helmet was developed, displaying all key information directly in front of the pilot's eyes, regardless of where they are looking or where their head is oriented.
Besides data presentation, the HMDS Gen III helmet has an integrated AN/AAQ-37 DAS (Distributed Aperture System) for surrounding observation, allowing pilots to "see through the fuselage" and, for example, view what's beneath the plane thanks to the cameras built into the aircraft.
This system is being replaced by an even more advanced AN/AAQ-37 EODAS (Next-Generation Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System), which adds infrared viewing to 360-degree observation. With this solution, instead of observing FLIR sensor images on a cabin screen, pilots can freely look around, observing the infrared environment as if the fuselage and cockpit didn't enclose them.
AR on Japanese frigates
An example of augmented reality application on an even larger scale is the quickly developed Japanese Mogami-class frigates. Their unique feature is the innovative AICIC (Advanced Integrated Combat Information Center). It takes the form of a circular space surrounded by vertically arranged screens.
Thanks to the ability to display images from cameras and other sensors, the centre's operators can observe the situation outside the vessel in real time, with additional markers or information about various objects superimposed on the actual image.
Assistance in training and equipment maintenance
Similar solutions are also being implemented in new combat vehicles and training systems. The opportunities related to using augmented reality during training are leveraged in the American STE (Synthetic Training Environment) project, enabling training for units whose members are located in different places around the world simultaneously.
Among AR applications is also support for technical maintenance, exemplified by goggles developed by GridRaster for servicing CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.
The image recorded by the camera is recognized and processed so that the technician looking at the machine's component sees the image with highlighted parts, their descriptions, or servicing instructions.
