Recent heightened tensions between China and Pakistan have brought into sharp focus, the lack of night fighting capabilities within the Indian military, especially related to the army’s mechanised formations. Decisive steps are now being taken towards equipping the armed forces with the ability to fight at night or in low-visibility conditions and presently, the armed and paramilitary forces are looking at upgrading night vision capability across the board, whether it is equipping infantry personnel, Special Forces (SF) units or upgrading tanks, armoured personnel carriers, etc.
Need of the hour
In the past, defence forces were restricted by their ability to only fight during the day. However, in the 21st century, that is no longer an option. Today and in the future, conflicts will occur continuously irrespective of the time of the day and, the force with better capabilities to hide, while seeking their targets in the dark will have an upper hand. Night Vision Devices/ Night Vision Goggles (NVD/NVG) are crucial on the modern battlefield as they provide the ability to fight not only at night but also during other conditions of reduced visibility and NVDs are required in large quantities across the army, navy, air force, and paramilitary forces.
This story is from the March 2021 edition of Geopolitics.
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This story is from the March 2021 edition of Geopolitics.
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