The European military procurement agency OCCAR-EA has awarded a contract on behalf of Belgium and Germany for the procurement of Night Vision Goggles (NVG) to a consortium between Hensoldt Optronics GmbH and THEON Sensors SA. The contract is the result of a Europe-wide competition with a strong field of tenderers. It was signed by the Director of OCCAR-EA and representatives of industry on 22 June 2021 at the OCCAR premises in Bonn.
The contract includes 4,550 examples for Belgian Defence and 5,000 for the German Bundeswehr, as well as an option for another 20,000 BNVG for Germany. A full maintenance and repair service for up to 15 years is also included, as well as a series of accessories that will be delivered to the users. Deliveries will start in 2021.
Using 16 mm tubes, the size, and most importantly the weight, of this binocular are reduced by up to 20 per cent without any major reduction in performance. It is already in operation with various European end users. This is the first major contract that THEON SENSORS has received, through the consortium with HENSOLDT, for this new state-of-the-art system.
The aim of this programme is to increase Belgium’s and Germany’s night vision capability of dismounted soldiers and drivers of military vehicles. In addition, the common procurement of the NVGs will increase the interoperability and decrease the logistic footprint in operational theatres where both Nations are deployed together.
Jack Richardson
