PLA Ground Forces news, pics and videos
- Thread starter Jeff Head
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shen
Senior Member
Field of View, maybe?
plawolf
Lieutenant General
The 4 lenses are indeed to give a much broader field of view compared to traditional mono-lense NVGs.
The 4 lenses do not feed into 4 output channels, instead, the images from two lenses are merged together in each of two eyepieces, which are mini-LCD screens as opposed to a direct feed from an image intensifier tube on conventional NVGs.
The Chinese unit has much larger lenses and longer tube length, so is probably significantly heavier compared to the American ones (although those seems like 2nd or 3rd gen models, some of the earlier American 4 tube setups were also pretty hefty like the Chinese model).
The main reason the Chinese are not issuing these like candy to troops? Cost, and need.
Those quad tube NVGs are probably $65k a pop if going by American prices. Even if you half that to $32.5k for the Chinese model, that's skill a huge amount of money to spend on one piece ormolu kit for one soldier!
Even western armies were not issuing universal body armour, never mind NVGs, to their expeditionary forces, which would have been their tier 1 elite units, even after the invasion of Iraq.
There were quite a few scandals in the months after the invasion where servicemen were killed in combat because they were not issued with body armour, and soldiers paying out of their own pockets for armour and other essential kit etc.
Today western frontline forces get all the new toys because they are frontline combat deployed troops fighting in actual wars!
China isn't fighting any wars, so of course the Chinese government is not going to be spending tens of thousands of dollars per head for things like body armour and NVGs, which do have a shelf life even if you keep them in storage.
China is making enough orders to keep the industry alive, competative, and up to date, while not breaking the bank.
Given the size of the PLA, even orders for just its special forces will probably match or even exceed orders some western militaries make in total.
The PLA has hardly been shy about showing off their NVGs in publicity photos for years if not decades.
NVGs are expensive and delicate pieces of kit. Even with the greatest care, you will have to expect a certain percentage of them to get damage, lost or destroyed in large scale exercises. That is on top of general running down of the available useful life hours on each set of tubes.
As such, its little wonder the PLA is not keen on mass issuing them even for high profile exercises, and instead reserve them for mostly special forces for exercises.
Line grunts may be getting some training with dummies training aids and/or classroom lessons with live units every few months or even annually to keep them aware of how to use them in the event the proverbial hits the fan and the PLA does break open the emergency supplies.
The 4 lenses do not feed into 4 output channels, instead, the images from two lenses are merged together in each of two eyepieces, which are mini-LCD screens as opposed to a direct feed from an image intensifier tube on conventional NVGs.
The Chinese unit has much larger lenses and longer tube length, so is probably significantly heavier compared to the American ones (although those seems like 2nd or 3rd gen models, some of the earlier American 4 tube setups were also pretty hefty like the Chinese model).
The main reason the Chinese are not issuing these like candy to troops? Cost, and need.
Those quad tube NVGs are probably $65k a pop if going by American prices. Even if you half that to $32.5k for the Chinese model, that's skill a huge amount of money to spend on one piece ormolu kit for one soldier!
Even western armies were not issuing universal body armour, never mind NVGs, to their expeditionary forces, which would have been their tier 1 elite units, even after the invasion of Iraq.
There were quite a few scandals in the months after the invasion where servicemen were killed in combat because they were not issued with body armour, and soldiers paying out of their own pockets for armour and other essential kit etc.
Today western frontline forces get all the new toys because they are frontline combat deployed troops fighting in actual wars!
China isn't fighting any wars, so of course the Chinese government is not going to be spending tens of thousands of dollars per head for things like body armour and NVGs, which do have a shelf life even if you keep them in storage.
China is making enough orders to keep the industry alive, competative, and up to date, while not breaking the bank.
Given the size of the PLA, even orders for just its special forces will probably match or even exceed orders some western militaries make in total.
The PLA has hardly been shy about showing off their NVGs in publicity photos for years if not decades.
NVGs are expensive and delicate pieces of kit. Even with the greatest care, you will have to expect a certain percentage of them to get damage, lost or destroyed in large scale exercises. That is on top of general running down of the available useful life hours on each set of tubes.
As such, its little wonder the PLA is not keen on mass issuing them even for high profile exercises, and instead reserve them for mostly special forces for exercises.
Line grunts may be getting some training with dummies training aids and/or classroom lessons with live units every few months or even annually to keep them aware of how to use them in the event the proverbial hits the fan and the PLA does break open the emergency supplies.
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
The Quad unit is still limited issue they were adopted from units intended for Helicopter crews modified for use by Elite Special forces units as for price All these can be your for the low low price of $42,499.99 Of course that's the Knocked down off the Shelf units. Military gets bulk buys for upgraded versions.
Hits on all the right points but I think it disturbingly characterizes the overarching issue as primarily one of external rivalry when it is really one at least as much of internal balance. At least if peaceful solutions, or at least attempts, are to take priority over violent ones.
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
hmmm... This is the first appearance of "Simulticam" since the WW2 parade That I can recall. So It seems like it's either a para vanity cam or they are taking there sweet time in converting.