The development history of infrared night vision device
Visible light at night is very weak, but infrared rays invisible to the human eye are abundant. Infrared vision can help people observe, search, aim and drive vehicles at night. Although people discovered infrared rays very early, due to the limitation of infrared components, the development of infrared remote sensing technology is very slow. It was not until 1940 that Germany developed lead sulfide and several infrared transmission materials that the birth of infrared remote sensing instruments became possible. Since then, Germany has first developed several infrared detection instruments such as active infrared night vision devices, but none of them were actually used in World War II.
Almost at the same time, the United States was also developing infrared night vision devices. Although the successful test was later than Germany, it was the first to put it into actual combat application. In the summer of 1945, the U.S. Army landed and attacked Okinawa Island. The Japanese troops hidden in the caves and tunnels took advantage of the complex terrain and came out at night to attack the U.S. troops. So the U.S. military urgently transported a batch of infrared night vision devices that had just been manufactured to Okinawa, and placed guns equipped with infrared night vision devices near the cave. When the Japanese army climbed out of the cave in the dark, they were immediately knocked down by a burst of accurate guns. The Japanese soldiers in the cave didn't know the reason, and continued to rush out, and died in a daze. When the infrared night vision device first entered the battlefield, it played an important role in eliminating the stubborn Japanese army on Okinawa Island.
The active infrared night vision device has the characteristics of clear imaging and simple production, but its Achilles' heel is that the infrared light of the infrared searchlight will be discovered by the enemy's infrared detection device. In the 1960s, the United States first developed a passive thermal imaging camera, which does not emit infrared light, is not easy to be found by the enemy, and has the ability to observe through fog and rain.
From April to June 1982, the Malvinas Islands War broke out between Britain and Argentina. At midnight on April 13, the British army attacked Port Stanley, the largest stronghold of the Cheng army. The minefield laid by 3,000 British troops suddenly appeared in front of the Afghan defense line. All guns and artillery in the UK are equipped with infrared night vision devices, which can clearly detect Afghan targets in the dark. However, the Ah army lacked night vision devices and could not detect the British army, so they could only be beaten passively. Under the accurate firepower of the British army, the Afghan army could not support it, and the British army took the opportunity to charge. By dawn, the British army had occupied several major commanding heights on the Afghan defense line, and the Afghan army was completely under the fire control of the British army. At 9:00 pm on June 14, 14,000 Afghan troops had to surrender to the British. The British Army won an outnumbered battle ahead of infrared night vision equipment.
In the Gulf War in 1991, on the battlefield filled with wind, sand and gunpowder smoke, because the US military was equipped with advanced infrared night vision equipment, it was able to detect the opponent before the Iraqi tanks and fired. The Iraqi army only knew that the enemy was ahead from the muzzle flare of the US tanks when they fired. From this we can see the important role of infrared night vision equipment in modern warfare.
