The Bundeswehr and the Belgian armed forces will receive around 9,500 new night vision goggles. The European arms agency OCCAR has now commissioned an industrial consortium consisting of the German Hensoldt Optronics GmbH and the Greek Theon Sensors to manufacture and supply the Theon Mikron night vision goggles.
Both the Bundestag and the Belgian Parliament had previously released the financial resources necessary for the procurement. The Belgian armed forces will receive 4,550 night vision goggles and the Bundeswehr will receive 5,000. The contract also includes the delivery of original equipment, training and documentation. The Bundeswehr will also receive 1,789 additional sets of a headwear system for the driver's glasses introduced a few years ago, and Belgium will receive in-service support for the first five years of use. An option was agreed for the extension of in-service support and the procurement of up to 20,000 additional sets of night vision goggles.
According to OCCAR, delivery of a small number of the glasses is planned for July 2021. These are to be used for an “operational test and acceptance campaign”. The delivery of a first production lot for Belgium is planned for the end of 2021. Delivery is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2024.
According to the Ministry of Defense, delivery of the Bundeswehr goggles is scheduled for 2022. The Bundeswehr will use the glasses, which are to be referred to in the Bundeswehr as “image intensifier glasses, cross-sectional”, to equip those troops who are intended for the NATO spearhead (Very High Readiness Joint Task Force /VJTF) in 2023. The Ministry of Defense has also announced that it will withdraw the option for the 20,000 additional pairs of glasses (valid until the end of 2023) as soon as it is financially secure.
Theon MICRON
The type of night vision goggles selected is the Theon MIKRON, binocular night vision goggles with two 16 mm residual light intensifier tubes and integrated infrared emitter. This can be worn by the soldier either on the helmet or using a head-wearing system.
The monoculars can be folded away separately. The MIKRON is powered by a single AA battery, but can also be powered by an external battery pack if longer operating time is necessary.
Tender via OCCAR
According to OCCAR, the goal of the program was “to increase the night vision capability of dismounted soldiers and military vehicle operators in Belgium and Germany. “In addition, the joint procurement of the night vision goggles will increase interoperability and reduce the logistical footprint in areas of operation where both nations operate together.”
After the participating states committed to the program on April 20, 2020, OCCAR set up a “Program Division” for night vision devices on May 1, 2020. This prepared the tender, which was published on July 30, 2020, three months later.
“Following the evaluation of the offers received, negotiations were held with the three best-placed bidders. The final selection was made based on the best and final offers from these bidders. With the completion of the national approval processes for the required budget, OCCAR was able to sign the contract within just 14 months of the start of the program,” the defense agency said in a press release.
Waldemar Geiger
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