Explained: How night vision devices are reshaping military operations

Combat does not wait for daylight and battlefield readiness is non-negotiable, so night vision devices (NVDs) are as crucial for soldiers as a rifle or a communication device.

NVDs turn darkness into clear vision, allowing militaries to get operational advantage during low-light operations.

The devices work on two principles. The first is image enhancement by gathering and amplifying ambient and infrared light so that the human eye can perceive what is otherwise invisible. The second is thermal imaging, which detects heat signatures emitted by targets, making it effective even in total darkness or through smoke and camouflage.

Most handheld and helmet-mounted devices used by infantry fall in the image-enhancement category, while armoured vehicles and aircraft tend to integrate both. The heart of any NVD is its image intensifier tube, which determines its battlefield value.

The military use of night vision was first demonstrated during the Second World War, when Nazi Germany fitted infrared sighting systems onto Panzer tanks and developed the man-portable “Vampir” system for infantry use.

The United States followed with its own sniper scopes deployed during the Korean War. Since then, the technology has evolved dramatically across four generations, each leap bringing sharper resolution, lower noise, longer battery life, and the ability to function in progressively darker conditions.

Modern devices can adapt instantaneously to shifting light environments, including advanced thermal sensors integrated into aircraft, armoured vehicles, unmanned platforms, helmet-mounted goggles and weapon sights.

Countries across the world are investing heavily in next-generation night-fighting technologies, making the development and deployment of such capabilities an increasingly important aspect of defence preparedness and strategic deterrence.

Globally, the pace of night vision modernisation has been unrelenting. The United States Army fields the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular, or ENVG-B, a fused system that combines thermal and image intensification with augmented reality overlays, allowing soldiers to share battlefield imagery in real time and engage targets from cover. Israel’s Elbit Systems and France's Thales remain among the dominant global suppliers, while China has accelerated indigenous production of thermal and fused systems for the People's Liberation Army.

For India, which has borders across both eastern and western regions, the stakes of this technology gap are immediate. It has a series of contracts, indigenous development programmes, and new manufacturing infrastructure to fight in the dark.

• 2020 - M Kumar Udyog Limited co-develops ELFIE monocular night vision device with French defence major Thales

• 2022 - Kanpur-based MKU Ltdbecomes the first private firm to receive a Defence Research and Development Organistaion transfer of technology for the T-90 tank’s driver night sight

• 2024 - Ministry of Defence (MoD) asks Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited to upgrade 693 BMP-2 infantry combat vehicles to BMP-2M standard, integrating DRDO and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)-developed night sights and fire control systems.

• 2024 - MKU's Netro NB-3100, a Generation III aviation night vision goggle, inducted into the Indian Air Force for use on the indigenously built Light Combat Helicopter Prachand and the Light Utility Helicopter.

• 2025 - The Defence Acquisition Council clears thermal imager-based driver night sights for BMPs, enhancing night mobility of India's mechanised infantry.

• 2025 - MoD signs a ₹659.47 crore contract with MKU Ltd and Medbit Technologies for image intensifier night sights for the SIG 716 assault rifle, covering 29,762 units of MKU's Netro NW 3000, one of the largest electro-optics orders in Indian Army history.

• 2025 - Prime Minister Modi inaugurates BEL’s Advanced Night Vision Products Factory at Nimmaluru, Andhra Pradesh, a ₹362 crore facility to manufacture night vision devices, infrared seekers, and drone guard systems for the armed forces and for export.