Hi, I usually wouldn't talk on SDF but I've notice some of the things people have said and I'd like to correct you on some of them.
The "GEN 1" night vision devices you are referring to is the BBG011A and it is the most commonly issued night vision goggles for the PLA. It is based off the French LUCIE NVG with minor improvements such as allowing it to accept more common tubes on the market. The BBG011A is a singular tube but has simulates bino like the PVS-7. So far it's been mostly seen issued to recon units or tezhan units (特战) . BBG011A uses gen 2+ tubes,
Regarding which generation it belongs to, I believe its best for you to just do a few more researching, a simple googling would have done the job like I had.
The state of China's NVG situation is complex and are often based on speculations but China has the ability to produce Gen3 NVGs but when it comes down to issuing those Gen 3 NVGs, it is literally because the PLA came in late into the "NVGs for soldiers" spectrum and budgetary issues. (Personally, considering the state of the Ground Force itself with how the resources have been directed to PLAN and PLAAF. I am not surprised)
The new "NVG" that has been seen with the Xingkong kit is a digital NVG is not suppose to be a night vision device as its primary function but are focused on the digital side, the IFF system, the datalink, navigation etc. (Sort of like what you'd see in Arma 3) The PLA had been experimenting with digital NVGs for a while now but digital gets inherently worse low light performance with the current state of technology and the new digital NVGs has been not performing well in extreme low light conditions and some PLA soldiers saying it's worse then their gen 2s. It's worth noting that the PLA itself knows the digital NVGs are terrible and it's not meant to replace the I2 tubes but to provide a cheaper solution for night navigation capabilities.
The said digital "nvg" has also been seen issued as a standalone. Most noticeably out west, here is a picture of a commander of a 76th SOF battalion in Panggong lake last year. (This might also mean it's more a quick stop gap solution.)
View attachment 70952
Lastly, what you've stated about the PAP is not correct, they either get the hand downs from the PLA or buy their own night vision devices.
Sorry for bad English I am from Poland.
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