SOFINS 2025 – Thales unveils its Panoramic four-tube NVG
Developed to fill a gap in the Thales night vision goggles (NVG) portfolio, the Panoramic four-tube system provides the operator with an over 120° field-of-view (FoV), ensuring full situational awareness to land and air operators
Testing the Panoramic in the dark room available at the SOFINS trials area is a fascinating experience, as for the first time you do not feel the “tunnel effect” which inevitably two-tube systems generate, with their limited FoV, usually 40-42°, rarely 50-52°, not to mention single-tube systems, which add to the limited FoV a lesser depth of field feeling.
Of course nothing comes free, therefore the mass of the Panoramic is higher than that of a binocular system, 740 grams with one battery versus the less than 460 grams of the Thales Nellie.
One of the requirements of the French Army, the Panoramic development was fully funded by France’s Defence Innovation Agency (AID), was that the NVG should remain within the helmet profile when folded, hence the two two-tube pods can flip laterally when not in use, reducing the overall width of the NVG.
The Panoramic uses 18 mm standard image intensification tubes, usually from Photonis, ranging from Gen II to 5G. The one we were allowed to test during SOFINS was fitted with white tubes, the white or green being a customers’ choice. The rear part of each tube pod sees a two-ocular system with the two at an angle, allowing the single eye to see through the two tubes providing a very natural feeling. Eye relief can be trimmed between 20 and 25 mm while interpupillary distance can be regulated from 55 to 76 mm, a -2.5 to +0 dioptric adjustment being available.
Of course magnification is x1, objective lens aperture being 1.2 and resolution 1.26 cy/mrd. Brightness gain can be trimmed by the user to better fit his need, auto-gating being a standard feature.
The NVG has one battery that provides over 10 hours endurance at 20°C; this comes in the form of an AA battery working either at 1.5 or 3.6 V. A four-battery pack is available, providing an over 40 hours endurance, that would be fitted at the rear of the helmet, partly balancing the forward moment generated by the NVG mass. Even when this is used the single battery in the NVG itself will be retained, as it would provide back-up power should the cable connecting the NVG to the battery pack be damaged.
As other Thales NVGs, the Panoramic can be stored at temperatures between -40°C and +55°C and can be operated between -35°C and +49°C. It can be immersed in water at a 1 metre depth for up to 2 hours without damage.
Thales completed the development of the Panoramic goggle in just over two years at its centre of excellence for soldier optronics at Saint-Héand, in the Loire department, the production being launched now.
Photos by P. Valpolini
