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59-488: The Universal Camouflage Pattern ( UCP ) is a digital military camouflage pattern formerly used by the United States Army in their Army Combat Uniform . Technicians at Natick Soldier Systems Center attempted to devise a uniform pattern that would mask the wearer in all seasonal environments. Laboratory and field tests from 2003 to 2004 showed a pattern named "All-Over-Brush" to provide the best concealment of

118-483: A micro-channel plate (MCP) with an S-25 photocathode . This produced a much brighter image, especially around the edges of the lens. This led to increased clarity in low ambient-light environments, such as moonless nights . Light amplification was around 20,000 . Image resolution and reliability improved. Examples: Later advances brought GEN II+ devices (equipped with better optics, SUPERGEN tubes, improved resolution and better signal-to-noise ratios ), though

177-432: A range of scales (scale-invariant camouflage), in the manner of fractals , so some approaches are called fractal camouflage . Not all multiscale patterns are composed of rectangular pixels , even if they were designed using a computer. Further, not all pixellated patterns work at different scales, so being pixellated or digital does not of itself guarantee improved performance. The first standardized pattern to be issued

236-443: A 97° FoV. Examples: Foveated night vision (F-NVG) uses specialized WFoV optics to increase the field of view through an intensifier tube. The fovea refers to the part of the retina which is responsible for central vision. These devices have users look "straight through" the tubes so light passing through the center of the tube falls on the foveal retina, as is the case with traditional binocular NVGs. The increased FoV comes at

295-567: A binocular apparatus called 'Design E'. This was bulky, needing an external power pack generating 7,000 volts, but saw limited use with amphibious vehicles of 79th Armoured Division in the 1945 crossing of the Rhine. Between May and June 1943, 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division trialled man-portable night vision sets, and the British later experimented with mounting the devices to Mark III and Mark II(S) Sten submachine guns. However, by January 1945

354-744: A concealment method. Some felt that it was endangering their missions and their lives. In response, the US Army conducted several studies to find a modification or replacement for the standard issue pattern. In July 2014, the Army announced that Operational Camouflage Pattern would replace all UCP-patterned ACU uniforms by the end of September 2019. However, UCP remains in service in limited capacities, such as on some cold weather overgear and older body armor. Three patterns were developed, called All Over Brush , Track , and Shadow/Line . For each pattern, there were four color combinations, which corresponded to

413-837: A former radio-guided missile. At that time, infrared was commonly called black light , a term later restricted to ultraviolet . Zworykin's invention was not a success due to its large size and high cost. First-generation passive devices developed by the US Army in the 1960s were introduced during the Vietnam War . They were an adaptation of earlier active technology and relied on ambient light instead of using an extra infrared light source. Using an S-20 photocathode , their image intensifiers amplified light around 1,000 -fold, but they were quite bulky and required moonlight to function properly. Examples: 1970s second-generation devices featured an improved image-intensifier tube using

472-438: A limited field of view (FoV); the commonly used AN/PVS-14 has a FoV of 40, less than the 95° monocular horizontal FoV and humans' 190° binocular horizontal FoV. This forces users to turn their heads to compensate. This is particularly evident when flying, driving, or CQB , which involves split second decisions. These limitations led many SF/SOF operators to prefer white light rather than night vision when conducting CQB. As

531-429: A lower cost. At the higher end, SiOnyx has produced digital color NVGs. The "Opsin" of 2022 has a form factor and helmet weight similar to an AN/PVS-14 , but requires a separate battery pack. It offers a shorter battery life and lower sensitivity. It can however tolerate bright light and process a wider range of wavelengths. Ceramic Optical Ruggedized Engine (CORE) produces higher-performance Gen 1 tubes by replacing

590-563: A range of scales. In 1976, Timothy O'Neill created a pixellated pattern named "Dual-Tex". He called the digital approach "texture match". The initial work was done by hand on a retired M113 armoured personnel carrier ; O'Neill painted the pattern on with a 2-inch (5.1 cm) roller, forming squares of colour by hand. Field testing showed that the result was good compared to the U. S. Army's existing camouflage patterns , and O'Neill went on to become an instructor and camouflage researcher at West Point military academy. By 2000, development

649-608: A range of up to 600 m, had a 30 cm infrared searchlight and an image converter operated by the tank commander. From late 1944 to March 1945 the German military conducted successful tests of FG 1250 sets mounted on Panther Ausf. G tanks (and other variants). During the war, approximately 50 (or 63) Panthers were equipped with the FG 1250 and saw combat on both the Eastern and Western Fronts . The "Vampir" man-portable system for infantry

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708-491: A resonance superstructure to orient more of the electric field parallel, so that it can be absorbed. Although cryogenic cooling between 77 K and 85 K is required, QWID technology may be appropriate for continuous surveillance viewing due to its claimed low cost and uniformity in materials. Materials from the II–VI compounds , such as HgCdTe , are used for high-performance infrared light-sensing cameras. An alternative within

767-410: A resonant non-local lithium niobate metasurface with a pump beam. The metasurface boosts the photons' energy, pushing them into the visible spectrum without converting them to electrons. Cooling is not required. Visible and infrared light appear in a single image. Traditionally, night-vision systems capture side-by-side views from each spectrum, so they can't produce identical images. Its frequency range

826-402: A result, much time and effort has gone into research to develop a wider FoV solution. Panoramic night vision goggles (PNVG) increase FoV by increasing the number of sensor tubes. This solution adds size, weight, power requirements, and complexity. An example is GPNVG-18 (Ground Peripheral Night Vision Goggle). These goggles, and the aviation AN/AVS-10 PNVG from which they were derived, offer

885-837: A specific type of terrain, however, all four patterns used tan as their base color. The three remaining colors were green , brown , and black for the Woodland pattern, dark tan, khaki , and brown for the Desert pattern, light gray , medium gray, and black for the Urban pattern, and dark tan, light gray, and brown for the Desert/Urban pattern. There were fifteen evaluations, which took place at Fort Benning , Fort Polk , Fort Irwin , Fort Lewis , and Yakima, Washington . The camouflage patterns were then rated on their blending, brightness, contrast, and detection by U.S. Army soldiers, during

944-658: A steady illumination level in the user's view that improves the ability to keep "eyes on target" in spite of temporary light flashes. These functions are especially useful for pilots, soldiers in urban environments , and special operations forces who may be exposed to rapidly changing light levels. OMNI, or OMNIBUS, refers to a series of contracts through which the US Army purchased GEN III night vision devices. This started with OMNI I, which procured AN/PVS-7A and AN/PVS-7B devices, then continued with OMNI II (1990), OMNI III (1992), OMNI IV (1996), OMNI V (1998), OMNI VI (2002), OMNI VII (2005), OMNI VIII, and OMNI IX. However, OMNI

1003-520: Is known as I ( image intensification ). By comparison, viewing of infrared thermal radiation is referred to as thermal imaging and operates in a different section of the infrared spectrum. A night vision device usually consists of an image intensifier tube, a protective housing, and an optional mounting system. Many NVDs also include a protective sacrificial lens, mounted over the front/ objective lens to prevent damage by environmental hazards, while some incorporate telescopic lenses . An NVD image

1062-417: Is not a specification. The performance of a particular device generally depends upon the tube which is used. For example, a GEN III OMNI III MX-10160A/AVS-6 tube performs similarly to a GEN III OMNI VII MX-10160A/AVS-6 tube, even though the former was manufactured in ~1992 and the latter ~2005. One particular technology, PINNACLE is a proprietary thin-film microchannel plate technology created by ITT that

1121-502: Is not enough for practical use. The Sensor and Electron Devices Directorate (SEDD) of the US Army Research Laboratory developed quantum-well infrared detector (QWID). This technology's epitaxial layers use a gallium arsenide (GaAs) or aluminum gallium arsenide system (AlGaAs). It is particularly sensitive to that are mid-length infrared waves. The Corrugated QWIP (CQWIP) broadens detection capacity by using

1180-521: Is notable for its elimination of the color black. Justification given for the omission of black was that black is a color not commonly found in nature. Pure black viewed through night vision goggles can appear extremely dark and create an undesirable high-contrast image. The U.S. Army incorrectly reported to the media that the basis for the UCP was the Urban Track pattern, which had been modified through

1239-400: Is related to their function. Large structures need larger patterns than individual soldiers to disrupt their shape. At the same time, large patterns are more effective from afar, while small scale patterns work better up close. Traditional single scale patterns work well in their optimal range from the observer, but an observer at other distances will not see the pattern optimally. Nature itself

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1298-407: Is to use an I² device over one eye and a thermal device over the other eye, relying on the human visual system to provide a binocular combined view . Out of Band (OOB) refers to night vision technologies that operate outside the 500-900 nm NIR (near infrared) frequency range. This is possible with dedicated image intensifier tubes or with clip-on devices. Night vision devices typically have

1357-437: Is typically monochrome green, as green was considered to be the easiest color to see for prolonged periods in the dark. Night vision devices may be passive, relying solely on ambient light, or may be active, using an IR (infrared) illuminator. Night vision devices may be handheld or attach to helmets . When used with firearms, an IR laser sight is often mounted to the weapon. The laser sight produces an infrared beam that

1416-458: Is very often fractal , where plants and rock formations exhibit similar patterns across several magnitudes of scale. The idea behind multi-scale patterns is both to mimic the self-similarity of nature, and also to offer scale invariant or so-called fractal camouflage. Animals such as the flounder have the ability to adapt their camouflage patterns to suit the background, and they do so extremely effectively, selecting patterns that match

1475-931: Is visible only through an NVD and aids with aiming. Some night vision devices are made to be mounted to firearms. These can be used in conjunction with weapon sights or standalone; some thermal weapon sights have been designed to provide similar capabilities. These devices were first used for night combat in World War II and came into wide use during the Vietnam War . The technology has evolved since then, involving "generations" of night-vision equipment with performance increases and price reductions. Consequently, though they are commonly used by military and law enforcement agencies, night vision devices are available to civilian users for applications including aviation, driving, and demining . In 1929 Hungarian physicist Kálmán Tihanyi invented an infrared-sensitive electronic television camera for anti-aircraft defense in

1534-522: The III–V family of compounds from InAsSb , a III–V compound, which is common in opto-electronics in items such as DVDs and phones. A graded layer with increased atomic spacing and an intermediate layer of the GaAs substrate trap any potential defects. Metasurface -based upconversion technology provides a night-vision film that weighs less than a gram and can be placed across ordinary glasses. Photons pass through

1593-424: The Army began phasing out UCP, many state defense forces began adopting it as their uniform. Multi-scale camouflage Multi-scale camouflage is a type of military camouflage combining patterns at two or more scales, often (though not necessarily) with a digital camouflage pattern created with computer assistance. The function is to provide camouflage over a range of distances, or equivalently over

1652-677: The Army's 2002 to 2004 tests, to be called the UCP. While the pixelated pattern of the UCP is similar to the MARPAT and CADPAT camouflage patterns used by the United States Marine Corps and the Canadian Armed Forces , its coloration differs significantly. The final UCP was then adopted without field testing against other patterns. Soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan questioned the UCP's effectiveness as

1711-601: The British had only made seven infra-red receiver sets. Although some were sent to India and Australia for trials before the end of 1945, by the Korean War and Malayan Emergency the British were using night vision equipment supplied by the United States. Early examples include: After World War II, Vladimir K. Zworykin developed the first practical commercial night-vision device at Radio Corporation of America , intended for civilian use. Zworykin's idea came from

1770-568: The Department of Defense to "take immediate action to provide combat uniforms to personnel deployed to Afghanistan with a camouflage pattern that is suited to the environment of Afghanistan." In the interim the Army conducted a brief in-country test of replacements for use in Afghanistan that included "UCP Delta", a variant of UCP that added coyote brown , and the commercial pattern MultiCam , which had been created by Crye Precision based on

1829-537: The Natick Soldier Systems Center, results indicated that three other patterns did significantly better than UCP in desert and woodland environments. Following building criticism of the poor effectiveness of the pattern in most terrains in the Afghan and Middle Eastern theatres of operations, the use of the pattern was discussed within the U.S. Congress. A bill passed by Congress in 2009 ordered

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1888-583: The PAU-2 was field-tested in 1942. In 1938 the British Admiralty assumed responsibility for British military infra-red research. They worked first with Philips until the fall of the Netherlands , then with Philips' UK subsidiary Radio Transmission Equipment Ltd., and finally with EMI , who in early 1941 provided compact, lightweight image converter tubes. By July 1942 the British had produced

1947-708: The Scorpion pattern from 2002. MultiCam was quickly selected and issued to all troops deployed to Afghanistan. In 2014, the United States Army announced the replacement of UCP. On 31 July 2014, the Army formally announced that a modified version of the original Scorpion pattern, Scorpion W2, had been chosen as the new Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP), which would begin being issued on uniforms in summer 2015. Authorization of UCP uniforms ended on 1 October 2019, though still sees some limited usage on other gear such as some body armor and cold weather overgear. As

2006-642: The UK. Night vision technology prior to the end of World War II was later described as Generation 0. Night-vision devices were introduced in the German Army as early as 1939 and were used in World War II . AEG started developing its first devices in 1935. In mid-1943, the German Army began testing infrared night-vision devices and telescopic rangefinders mounted on Panther tanks . Two arrangements were constructed. The Sperber FG 1250 ("Sparrow Hawk"), with

2065-411: The amount of voltage supplied to the microchannel plate (rather than the photocathode) in response to ambient light. Together, BSP and ABC (alongside autogating) serves to prevent temporary blindness for the user and prevent damage to the tube when the night vision device is exposed to sudden bright sources of light, like a muzzle flash or artificial lighting. These modulation systems also help maintain

2124-646: The daytime, and also at night using night vision devices . Following testing, the Shadow Line pattern was eliminated, along with the urban and desert/urban patterns of All Over Brush. All four of the Track patterns were accepted along with All Over Brush's woodland and desert patterns. The patterns were then modified and tested alongside a newly introduced "Contractor-Developed Mod" pattern, Scorpion, developed in conjunction with Crye Precision. Near infrared testing determined that black, medium gray, and medium tan were

2183-571: The design looks like a field of solid light grey, failing to disrupt an object's outlines) and arbitrary colour selection, neither of which could be saved by quantizing (digitizing) the pattern geometry. The design was replaced from 2015 with the Operational Camouflage Pattern , a non-pixellated pattern. The idea of patterned camouflage extends back to the interwar period in Europe. The first printed camouflage pattern

2242-404: The devices in a particular OMNI classification. Any postnominals appearing after a generation type (i.e., Gen II+, Gen III+) indicate improvement(s) over the original specification's requirements. Examples: Figure of merit (FoM) is a quantitative measure of a NVD's effectiveness and clarity. It is calculated using the number of line pairs per millimeter that a user can detect multiplied by

2301-611: The fact that the technology itself makes little difference, as long as an operator can see clearly at night. Consequently, the United States bases export regulations directly on the figure of merit. ITAR regulations specify that US-made tubes with a FOM greater than 1400 are not exportable; however, the Defense Technology Security Administration (DTSA) can waive that policy on a case-by-case basis. Fusion night vision combines I² ( image intensification ) with thermal imaging , which functions in

2360-477: The fovea. Examples: Some night vision devices, including several of the ENVG ( AN/PSQ-20 ) models, are "digital". Introduced in the late 2000s, these allow transmission of the image, at the cost of increased size, weight, power usage. High-sensitivity digital camera technology enables NVGs that combine a camera and a display instead of an image intensifier . These devices can offer Gen-1-equivalent quality at

2419-502: The glass plate with a ceramic plate. This plate is produced from specially formulated ceramic and metal alloys. Edge distortion is improved, photo sensitivity is increased, and the resolution can be as high as 60  lp /mm. CORE is still considered Gen 1, as it does not utilize a microchannel plate. A night-vision contact lens prototype places a thin strip of graphene between layers of glass that reacts to photons to brighten dark images. Prototypes absorb only 2.3% of light, which

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2478-497: The human eye and peak voltage supplied to the night vision device is maintained. This reduces the " duty cycle " (ie. the amount of time that the tube has power running through it) which increases the device's lifespan. Autogating also enhances the Bright-Source Protection (BSP), which reduces the voltage supplied to the photocathode in response to ambient light levels. Automatic Brightness Control (ABC) modulates

2537-649: The human visual system efficiently discriminates images that have different fractal dimension or other second-order statistics like Fourier spatial amplitude spectra; objects simply appear to pop out from the background. Timothy O'Neill helped the Marine Corps to develop first a digital pattern for vehicles, then fabric for uniforms, which had two colour schemes, one designed for woodland, one for desert. Night vision goggles The device enhances ambient visible light and converts near-infrared light into visible light which can then be seen by humans; this

2596-457: The image intensifier's signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio. In the late 1990s, innovations in photocathode technology significantly increased the SNR, with new tubes surpassing Gen 3 performance. By 2001, the United States federal government concluded that a tube's generation was not a determinant performance factor, obsoleting the term as a basis of export regulations. The US government has recognized

2655-414: The ion barrier allowed fewer electrons to pass through. The ion barrier increased the "halo" effect around bright spots or light sources. Light amplification (and power consumption) with these devices improved to around 30,000 – 50,000 . Examples: Autogating (ATG) rapidly switches the power supply's voltage to the photocathode on and off. These switches are rapid enough that they are not detectable to

2714-557: The label is not formally recognized by the NVESD. Third-generation night-vision systems, developed in the late 1980s, maintained the MCP from Gen II, but used a gallium arsenide photocathode, with improved resolution. GA photocathodes are primarily manufactured by L3Harris Technologies and Elbit Systems of America and imaged light from 500-900  nm . In addition, the MCP was coated with an ion barrier film to increase tube life. However,

2773-698: The medium (MWIR 3-5  μm ) and/or long (LWIR 8-14 μm) wavelength range. Initial models appeared in the 2000s. Dedicated fusion devices and clip-on imagers that add a thermal overlay to standard I² night vision devices are available. Fusion combines excellent navigation and fine details (I²), with easy heat signature detection (imaging). Fusion modes include night vision with thermal overlay, night vision only, thermal only, and others such as outline (which outlines objects that have thermal signatures) or "decamouflage", which highlights all objects that are of near-human temperature. Fusion devices are heavier and more power hungry than I²-only devices. One alternative

2832-440: The only colors that gave acceptable performance. All four remaining patterns, desert Brush, Scorpion, Woodland Track, and Urban Track were then tested alongside each other in urban, woodland, and desert environments. The desert Brush design received the best overall mean daytime visual rating. Contractor developed pattern received highest rating in woodland environments, but low ratings in desert and urban environments. Urban Track

2891-592: The patterns tested. All-Over-Brush was selected as the winner over ten other patterns. The disadvantage of an all-in-one pattern is that it is a combination of what is effective in many different environments and is less effective in a particular environment when compared to a specialized coloration designed specifically for that environment. The winning All-Over-Brush pattern was not used as the final UCP. Instead, U.S. Army leadership utilized pixelated images taken from Canadian CADPAT and US Marine Corps MARPAT , then recolored them based on three universal colors developed in

2950-476: The pixellated look is a question of fashion rather than function. The design process involves trading-off different factors, including colour, contrast, and overall disruptive effect. A failure to consider all elements of pattern design tends to result in poor results. The US Army's Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP), for example, adopted after limited testing in 2003 and 2004, performed poorly because of low pattern contrast ( isoluminance —beyond very close range,

3009-412: The price of image quality and edge distortions . Examples: Diverging image tube (DIT) night vision increases FoV by angle the tubes slightly outward. This increases peripheral FoV but causes distortion and reduced image quality. With DIT, users are no longer looking through the center of the tubes (which provides the clearest images) and light passing through the center of the tubes no longer falls on

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3068-466: The removal of black from the pattern and pixelated. Pattern comparisons subsequently established that the information provided by the U.S. Army was incorrect, and that the pattern was simply a three-colored version of MARPAT, a derivative of the Canadian CADPAT scheme. No evidence has been presented by the U.S. Army that the new UCP pattern had undergone proper field testing. In tests conducted by

3127-615: The spatial scales of the current background. A pattern being called digital most often means that it is visibly composed of computer-generated pixels . The term is sometimes also used of computer generated patterns like the non-pixellated MultiCam and the Italian fractal Vegetato pattern. Neither pixellation nor digitization contributes to the camouflaging effect. The pixellated style, however, simplifies design and eases printing on fabric, compared to traditional patterns. While digital patterns are becoming widespread, critics maintain that

3186-493: Was generally the 3rd or 4th worst performer at each site, but was the best performer in nighttime environments. Infrared testing showed negligible differences in the performance of the four patterns. Natick rated the patterns from best to worst as: Desert Brush, Woodland Track Mod, Contractor-Developed Mod (Scorpion), and Urban Track. The color scheme of the UCP is composed of tan (officially named Desert Sand 500), gray (Urban Gray 501), and sage green (Foliage Green 502). The pattern

3245-578: Was included in the OMNI VII contract. The thin-film improves performance. GEN III OMNI V–IX devices developed in the 2000s and onward can differ from earlier devices in important ways: The consumer market sometimes classifies such systems as Generation 4, and the United States military describes these systems as Generation 3 autogated tubes (GEN III OMNI V-IX). Moreover, as autogating power supplies can be added to any previous generation of night-vision devices, autogating capability does not automatically put

3304-818: Was the 1929 Italian telo mimetico , which used irregular areas of three colours at a single scale. During the Second World War, Johann Georg Otto Schick designed a series of patterns such as Platanenmuster (plane tree pattern) and Erbsenmuster (pea-dot pattern) for the Waffen-SS , combining micro- and macro-patterns in one scheme. Pixel-like shapes pre-date computer-aided design by many years, already being used in Soviet Union experiments with camouflage patterns, such as "TTsMKK" developed in 1944 or 1945. The pattern uses areas of olive green, sand, and black running together in broken patches at

3363-681: Was the single-scale Italian telo mimetico . The root of the modern multi-scale camouflage patterns can be traced back to 1930s experiments in Europe for the German and Soviet armies. This was followed by the Canadian development of the Canadian Disruptive Pattern ( CADPAT ), first issued in 2002, and then with US work which created the Marine pattern ( MARPAT ), launched between 2002 and 2004. The scale of camouflage patterns

3422-880: Was underway to create pixellated camouflage patterns for combat uniforms like the Canadian Forces ' CADPAT , which was developed in 1997 and later issued in 2002, and then the US Marines' MARPAT , rolled out between 2002 and 2004. The CADPAT and MARPAT patterns were somewhat self-similar (in the manner of fractals and patterns in nature such as vegetation), designed to work at two different scales. A genuinely fractal pattern would be statistically similar at all scales. A target camouflaged with MARPAT takes about 2.5 times longer to detect than older NATO camouflage which worked at only one scale, while recognition, which begins after detection, took 20 percent longer than with older camouflage. Fractal-like patterns work because

3481-706: Was used with StG 44 assault rifles. Parallel development occurred in the US. The M1 and M3 infrared night-sighting devices, also known as the "sniperscope" or "snooperscope", saw limited service with the US Army in World War II and in the Korean War , to assist snipers . These were active devices, using an infrared light source to illuminate targets. Their image-intensifier tubes used an anode and an S-1 photocathode , made primarily of silver , cesium , and oxygen , and electrostatic inversion with electron acceleration produced gain. An experimental Soviet device called

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