What are the current NVD's for helos?

[Gatordev]

The Navy is apparently getting serious about the Omni VIII goggles. Not for sure what that means in terms of actually making it to the fleet, but the conversations/science projects have started.

Right before I left, our (very good) AMSO was saying that when goggles go to Depot as a IV, they'll come back as a VI. Or at least most of them will. I would think that if the Navy jumped to VIIIs, the supply side would have to be laid out ahead of time for Depot, which will probably take some time for fleet-wide introduction.

Regardless, that's good to hear that some movement is being made.

 

[joe dirt]

I know there are some WP ANVIS 9s floating around and may be making it to some fleet units here in the next year or so.

 

[Gatordev]

I know there are some WP ANVIS 9s floating around and may be making it to some fleet units here in the next year or so.

First of all, that's cool to hear. I'm guessing, given your background, that will be to USMC units. Totally understandable, just like the OMNI VIs went to USMC first. But for the AC Navy side, I bet they won't be around for a bit.

 

[Renegade One]

What percentage of folks who show up at OCS with their own OMNI VIII goggles get jets? Asking for a friend.

 

[DanMa1156]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I also thought one of the upgrades to the new OMNI VI's is that they aren't monochromatic - instead of green they are black and white and varying shades of gray, which also creates significantly better detail, resolution, and spatial awareness than a single monochromatic color of green. Am I thinking of the wrong upgrade? I haven't gotten a chance to fly with either but when I went through the NITE course here at the HTs, they showed some of the future upgrades coming down the pipe.

 

[Gatordev]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I also thought one of the upgrades to the new OMNI VI's is that they aren't monochromatic - instead of green they are black and white and varying shades of gray, which also creates significantly better detail, resolution, and spatial awareness than a single monochromatic color of green. Am I thinking of the wrong upgrade? I haven't gotten a chance to fly with either but when I went through the NITE course here at the HTs, they showed some of the future upgrades coming down the pipe.

It sounds like what you're describing is the white phosphorus style. The film manufacturing process (OMNI x) and the WP are two separate things. The OMNI VI set of goggles that I saw in the fleet were still green.

 

[DanMa1156]

It sounds like what you're describing is the white phosphorus style. The film manufacturing process (OMNI x) and the WP are two separate things. The OMNI VI set of goggles that I saw in the fleet were still green.

Gotcha. Thanks.

 

[ChuckMK23]

LOL
"You landed on ships unaided?"
"Yeah. We didn't know better."

And vertrep’d - no moon, no horizon, stupid sea states, ITO on every pick. It sucked.

 

[Pags]

And vertrep’d - no moon, no horizon, stupid sea states, ITO on every pick. It sucked.

Unaided night vertrep was the worst.

 

[fc2spyguy]

And vertrep’d - no moon, no horizon, stupid sea states, ITO on every pick. It sucked.

I often hear the "old guys" talk about their day in the NA world at the club. Then I realize that they were crazy at the club because of the stupid shit they were doing in the aircraft I kid I kid, mostly

 

[ChuckMK23]

I often hear the "old guys" talk about their day in the NA world at the club. Then I realize that they were crazy at the club because of the stupid shit they were doing in the aircraft I kid I kid, mostly

in the 80's and 90's there was no kidding genuine resistance to using NVD's in Navy helo's - in fact, I can remember the the discussion at the NHA Flag panels of the time saying how dangerous the technology was - and this was when ANVIS-6's where mainstream (late 80's early 90's). I can't explain why we in the Navy Helo community rejected NVD's for so long. HAL-4 & 5 and later HCS 4 & 5 (reserve squadrons) pretty much lead the way and had to get all sorts of waivers to fly with goggles - HAL 4 & 5 had those crazy cutaway goggles. HC-9 at North Island as late as 1990 were flying the PVS style goggles. Crazy.

I think at some point everyone got religion - probably around late 90's or early 2000's.

If anyone has any perspective on why we were so late to the game - I'd love to hear it. Perhaps it was the forming of the Helo Master Plan and mission alignment, introduction of MH-60 R and S, etc.

 

[squorch2]

That attitude lasted almost to the 2010s in HC/HSC.

 

[ChuckMK23]

That attitude lasted almost to the 2010s in HC/HSC.

Decades of tradition unfettered by progress!

 

[RobLyman]

If anyone has any perspective on why we were so late to the game - I'd love to hear it. Perhaps it was the forming of the Helo Master Plan and mission alignment, introduction of MH-60 R and S, etc.

Perspective...no facts. I can say that continuing to stick to tried and true instrument techniques was/is not a bad idea. Teaching Army aviators to land on a ship during the day is fun. It is scary as hell at night.

 

[Gatordev]

If anyone has any perspective on why we were so late to the game - I'd love to hear it. Perhaps it was the forming of the Helo Master Plan and mission alignment, introduction of MH-60 R and S, etc.

At least on the HSL side, it was before the HMP really solidified and my understanding was that HS was ahead of HSL slightly. My first squadron was flying with goggles in the mid-90's. I think they were the first ones to fly with them, but Japan was probably right behind them. Japan got Hellfires first, quickly followed by my squadron, so they were typically neck and neck with the new systems.

With all of the VBSS (and HVBSS for HS) that the community was doing, it made sense to have them, along with the FCK package (and eventually the Block 1 FLIR system).

Independent of VERTREP'ing, I was never super-jazzed about whether I had goggles when landing on the boat (small boy). They make the approach easier on most nights, but I'd rather not have them over the deck, as they get in the way. Coming back as a DH, I would find the younger guys that grew up on goggles since the HTs loved them, but once they were over the deck, they'd never move their head and would be very dependent on someone else landing them in the trap. Obviously that can be mitigated with training, but it was a trend I noticed.