Rangers from 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment conduct Full Mission Profile (FMP) Training in South Korea during an iteration of Foal Eagle Exercise. Foal Eagle is an annual exercise that enhances the combat readiness posture of the ROK-U.S. Alliance through combined and joint training at multiple echelons.
Photos by SPC Codie Mendenhall/Release
To learn more about the annual Foal Eagle training, watch the video below:
Alex Hollings writes on a breadth of subjects with an emphasis on defense technology, foreign policy, and information warfare. He holds a master's degree in communications from Southern New Hampshire University, as well as a bachelor's degree in Corporate and Organizational Communications from Framingham State University.
Thomas S · 3 years ago
EternalChampion · 3 years ago
I’ve been out for some time, but the ones we used were definitely affected by bright flashes. There would be a bright green flash for a few seconds and the combination of the light source and the green flash would effectively render your night vision useless. And hurt your eyes.
I have no doubt that the technology has improve, however, in my experience, the above picture would be a little like staring at a welding torch for a few seconds.
Thomas S · 3 years ago
No
NVGs auto dim/filter out high levels of light. It isn't a perfect solution but I don't ever remember being blinded in any serious way when using them. The worst I recall was with some older versions where you might have some issues with flickering as the nods "dimmed" for muzzle flash.
If this were the case you would have no chance of using night vision when clearing buildings, or the enemy could render your night ops ineffective just by having a light on/using a flashlight.
EternalChampion · 3 years ago
I assume those 4 Rangers are blind now?
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It has been a couple years since I have used any nice night vision.
You are correct in that your night vision independant of the goggles/scopes will still (as of my last use) be totally shot. I don't recall having problems with any bright flashes, but often more the opposite problem of the goggles overcompensating for a split second or so and rendering everything too dark.
You aren't the first person that I have heard talk about bad NV. I chalk it up to the fact that even as of a few years ago the Army (not to mention the other branches) wasn't fielding the best/newest gear across the board. I know when I was running around in the sandbox my buddy made mention that his brother (also in Iraq) was issued the same stuff that was fielded in the late 90s.
Anyway, I am going with the idea that Rangers would be closer to the front on issue of new tech, especially given that they tend to do more night ops. With that in mind, I am going with the idea that muzzle flash shouldn't be a problem for them these days.