Discovering the dark as if in broad daylight – that’s an extraordinary power available to everyone, thanks to night vision goggles, binoculars and other monoculars.
First put into service during the Second World War, these residual light amplifying (RLA) devices have evolved steadily over the years.

Night vision optics, also known as NVGs for “Night Vision Googles”, involve three categories of technology:

• A so-called “passive” technology: this uses a light amplifier to maximize the amplification of residual light.
  This device produces a green tint and is frequently used by the armed forces.
• Active” technology: this device uses infrared (IR).
  It is mainly intended for “leisure” users.
  Indeed, in strategic circumstances, enemy aircraft can spot infrared devices, jeopardizing the mission.
• A combination of passive and active technologies: some night vision goggles combine these two technologies to produce extremely precise images and offer greater versatility.