Military and law enforcement personnel using night vision goggles (NVG) must be able to read illuminated displays without those displays interfering with the performance of the goggles. The displays also must be readable to those not using night vision.  Displays illuminated with unfiltered Incandescent lamps or LEDs (light emitting diodes) can interfere with NVG since they can emit significant energy in the Infra Red (IR) region of the spectrum. Excess IR radiation can cause conflicts with NVG night vision functionality.  For example, IR interference can cause night vision goggles to bloom (creating a halo-like glow around the displays and reducing visibility), create ghosting images (IR reflections from the cockpit surface), or goggle sensitivity loss due to activation of the automatic gain control due to higher levels of of IR.

The solution is to filter the display (light source) so that it emits the necessary light for proper operation in both day and night environments while attenuating levels of the respective red and near IR radiation (i.e., removing the component that falls within the NVIS response curve).  The filter must attenuate the noise to a level less than the lowest outside night sky radiation reflective source. MIL-L-85762A and MIL-STD 3009 establishes the requirements for NVIS compatible aircraft interior lighting.

Lumitron offers both NVIS lamps and NVIS ring filters in both monolithic glass construction (for incandescent light sources) and high temperature plastic (HTP) IR suppressing filters (for green and white LEDs).  Lumitron can  machine NVIS Green A, Green A Intruder, Green B, Yellow A, Yellow B, Red, and White to dimensional specifications required for virtually any illuminated device. Custom sizes are available in both glass and HTP for illumination in most applications in combination with incandescent, LED, or other light sources.