Night Vision Operator Course

Train to Maximize the Effectiveness of Night Vision Technology

Our Night Vision Operator Course is designed to give armed professionals the foundational knowledge needed to work safely and effectively with night vision goggles.

Military operations are frequently conducted during hours of darkness.  Statistics show that most crimes- and the vast majority of law enforcement involved shootings- occur during hours of darkness or in low light conditions. Only a small percentage of military and law enforcement training, however, addresses night operations. An even smaller percentage addresses night operations utilizing an important and increasingly popular tool- night vision.

Unfortunately, the huge increase in night vision procurement has not resulted in a corresponding increase in night vision training. As a result, many units and agencies are under-utilizing this powerful tool. In some instances, they are even putting their warriors at risk by allowing them to operate with night vision without fully understanding its capabilities and limitations and without being able to perform even the most basic tasks under goggles (i.e. fire a handgun).

Telluric Group’s 3-Day Night Vision Operator Course is designed to provide students with the foundational knowledge, skills, and tactics needed for the safe, effective use of night vision devices for military, law enforcement, or security applications. It utilizes classroom presentation, range fire, drills and exercises, and scenario-based training.  Topics include:

• Physiology and Psychology of Night Operations
• NVG Operation
• NVG Capabilities and Limitations
• Individual Movement and Hand-Eye Coordination
• Subject Restraint and Control
• Handgun Familiarization and Qualification
• Rifle Familiarization
• Driving Considerations
• Basic NV Tactics and Techniques:
  • Use of cover
  • Moving and shooting
  • Use of lighting conditions for tactical advantage
  • Countering suspects’ use of white light
  • Countering suspects’ use of NV devices
• Team movement and communication
• Mission planning considerations

Our instructors are the most experienced night vision instructors in the world. Our real world experience spans more than three decades, and includes recent operations using the latest and best equipment. We have trained literally thousands of federal, state, and local agents and officers on night vision/ night operations, with outstanding results.

Cost: $750 per student

Prerequisites: Documented training with both the carbine and the handgun.

Equipment/ Ammunition Requirements: Students should bring: duty/ tactical gear; PPE (eye and ear protection and hat or helmet; body armor is optional but recommended); a rifle/ carbine with optical sight and laser (if available) and minimum 3 magazines; and a handgun with a serviceable holster, 3 magazines, and magazine pouches.  Tritium sights are required for handgun firing and qualification (but we do have a temporary work-around if necessary).  Students will also need at least 300 rounds of ammunition for their rifles and 300 rounds for their handguns.  UTM ammunition for exercises and scenarios will be provided.

Click here to view our course schedule.

Click here to view open NV Operator course dates.

...IN A ZERO CONFIRMATION DEVICE.  Boresight devices, which are inherently inaccurate, are considered by some to be ‘good enough’ for zero confirmation in the field.  The logic, which makes perfect sense on the surface, is that a given weapon platform does not require a zero confirmation device that is accurate beyond that platform’s capabilities.  Using this logic the M4, as an example, which is commonly considered to be accurate to about 4 minutes of angle (MOA), would only need a 4 MOA capable device to check zero.  If we consider this logic more carefully, though, its fallacy is quickly exposed.  Adjusting zero based on an inaccurate boresight device degrades the overall accuracy of the weapon system.

In combat, the difference between an enemy that is down and out of the fight versus one who is able to continue to send rounds in your direction is often measured in inches. For this reason, we should constantly strive to improve combat marksmanship. The SAC is a very powerful tool for this purpose.

Our weapon platforms and sight options typically provide a significant advantage over enemy weapons in terms of accuracy and engagement speed. Most of that advantage is lost, though, if our weapons aren’t properly zeroed.

The SAC utilizes an alpha-numeric grid that is fixed in a very precise, consistent position relative to the bore of the weapon. For the M4/ M16, the grid is graduated in large, bold squares and smaller, finer squares. The large squares are 4 mils (equal to approximately 14.4 inches at 100 yards) and the small squares are 2 mils (approximately 7.2 inches at 100 yards).  The SAC provides two types of reference points, CZP and PZP...

In the Training/ Basic Rifle Marksmanship (BRM) environment, the small arms collimator can be used to reduce ammunition costs and range time associated with initial zeroing. It has also been shown to improve marksmanship scores. Additionally, frequent use of the SAC emphasizes the importance of maintaining a good zero on weapons at all times and develops the knowledge and mindset needed to use the SAC in operational units.

The Small Arms Collimator (SAC) is a very powerful tool for maintaining readiness at the individual and small unit level. Used properly, it helps to maximize the benefits (i.e. engagement speed and accuracy) provided by our weapon platforms and various sight options.

The SAC allows shooters to adjust or confirm zero on weapon systems in less than one minute in any environment (i.e. in a vehicle, on an aircraft, on board ship, behind cover on a patrol, in a hidesite, etc.) without compromising position. This improves operational effectiveness by: a) ensuring that shooters always have a good zero on their weapons, and b) allowing shooters to select and use the best sight option for their mission and operating environment.

We get a lot of questions about what type of mounting solutions are available/ appropriate for customers who purchase Aimpoint sights. As you know, there are a ton of aftermarket options.  We don't have room to provide info on all of them, so we'll focus on a few...  This article specifically addresses the Micro series of sights (T-1, H-1, and R-1).

These popular sights come with an integral mount that will allow the sight to be fixed to a Picatinny or Weaver rail with an Allen wrench screw.  It is an 11mm height base, which is best suited for mounting to a shotgun rail or a mount designed to provide a backup sight to a magnified optic (like the TNVC S.A.R.).  If you want to mount this sight onto an AR-style weapon, you must purchase a mount that will raise the optical sight path to the height of the iron sights.

Because GPS navigation devices are so common in today's world, compass navigation is becoming more and more of a 'lost art'.  Even reading a simple street map is incomprehensible to a lot of people.  It's impossible to argue with the convenience of the GPS- they allow us to navigate very precisely with very little effort, which frees us up to enjoy the journey a little more.  They also simplify route planning immensely.  But what if they fail?... we'd better have a backup!  GPS could never fail, though, right?  Actually, there are a lot of instances in which a GPS might not work.