The Loadout Blog

News|Industry News

By Drew Bryant
January 29th, 2023, theloadoutblog.com

Innovation is needed to keep the industry healthy, growing, and adapting to changing markets. Innovation is also necessary to help push companies to provide a better end-user experience with their products. So, innovation and ingenuity are core principles of this industry. One company innovating and pushing the boundaries of what is possible is Nocturn Industries. At this year’s Shot Show, Nocturn Industries introduced their Chimera Bridge for Ground Panoramic Night Vision Googles (GPNVG).

The innovation that Nocturn Industries brings to the table with the Chimera Bridge is that it is has two articulating arms. The traditional mount for the GPNVGs was a solid piece that housed the four-night vision devices. The Chimera has two separate articulating arms, a game changer when wearing or storing GPNVGs on a helmet.

Let’s break this concept down more. So, with traditional NVGs or GPNVGs, all the weight is centered right at the top of the user’s forehead. Over time this constant pressure will cause pain and discomfort, leading to a headache. I refer to it as “helmet fatigue.” Just over time, night vision becomes cumbersome and painful for the end-user to wear.

The new Chimera Bridge by Nocturn eliminates that helmet fatigue by spreading the weight over a wider area. So, instead of the weight being centralized at the crown of the forehead, it is spread over the entire forehead. Distributing the weight of the GPNVG will help elevate the helmet fatigue I spoke of earlier.

The Chimera system allows the user to move both sets of night vision independently. The Chimera enables the user to keep a pair down to use for night vision. Then, pop the second pair up to use a thermal scope or to look down at a map under red light. The possibilities are endless on how an end user could potentially use the articulating arms of the Chimera to their advantage. When the user does have a set of night vision stowed, it turns off that pair of night vision. This functionality will help preserve battery life in the long run, which is critical for extended nighttime operations.

Below is the product description from Nocturn Industries on the Chimera Bridge.

Product Description

The Ultralight Articulating Panoramic Night Vision Goggle UAPNVG “Chimera” is the next evolution in panoramic nvg systems, being the first articulating quad tube device. This pending patent system enables the lowest possible profile by stowing the pods back to the helmet to a profile typical of articulating binos reducing neck fatigue by pulling the center of gravity significantly closer to the natural pivot point of the neck. UAPNVG pods can be stowed individually without fully stowing the device, which allows the user to clear door thresholds, increase head clearance in a vehicle, have rapid access to the night vision function, enter and exit vehicles much faster, reduced brush snag hazard, and use weapon mounted optics/thermal devices simultaneously with the goggle. In addition to the stand-alone device is a bridge system that is plug and play at a user level with existing panoramic nvg pods offering compatibility with L3 GPNVG18, Lindu QTNVG, ANVIS10, Photonis PD Pro-Q, and more.

The possibilities and the value the Chimera will add to the end user are invaluable. This innovation and design will force other companies to innovate and stay competitive. Currently, Nocturn Industries and the Chimera Bridge are leading the way to a brighter future for the industry and the end user.

The Chimera Bridge will be available later this year and retail for $2500 MSRP. For more on the Chimera Bridge and Nocturn’s other products, click here.