Frequently Asked Questions
How does Night Vision work?
All Starlight technology Night Vision Devices consist of several main parts: an objective lens, an eyepiece, a power supply and an image intensifier tube (Photocathode Tube). Night vision devices gather existing ambient light (starlight, moonlight or infra-red light) through the front lens. This light, which is made up of photons goes into a photocathode tube that changes the photons to electrons. The electrons are then amplified to a much greater number through an electrical and chemical process.The electrons are then hurled against a phosphorus screen that changes the amplified electrons back into visible light that you see through the eyepiece. The image will now be a clear green-hued amplified re-creation of the scene you were observing.
How does Thermal Imaging work?
All objects, both natural and manmade, emit infrared energy as heat. By detecting very subtle temperature differences of everything in view, infrared (or thermal imaging) technology reveals what otherwise would be invisible to the naked eye.
In order to understand thermal imaging, it is important to understand something about light. The amount of energy in a light wave is related to its wavelength. Shorter wavelengths have higher energy. Of visible light, violet has the most energy, and red has the least. Just next to the visible light spectrum is the infrared spectrum.
INFRARED LIGHT CAN BE SPLIT INTO THREE CATEGORIES:
Near-infrared (near-IR) - Closest to visible light, near-IR has wavelengths that range from 0.7 to 1.3 microns, or 700 billionths to 1,300 billionths of a meter.
Mid-infrared (mid-IR) - Mid-IR has wavelengths ranging from 1.3 to 3 microns. Both near-IR and mid-IR are used by a variety of electronic devices, including remote controls.
Thermal-infrared (thermal-IR) - Occupying the largest part of the infrared spectrum, thermal-IR has wavelengths ranging from 3 microns to over 30 microns. The key difference between thermal-IR and the other two is that thermal-IR is emitted by an object instead of reflected off it. Infrared light is emitted by an object because of what is happening at the atomic level.
What is (ECWCS) Extended Cold Weather Clothing System?
The Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) is a protective clothing system developed in the 1980s by the United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, Natick, Massachusetts. The first generation ECWCS consisted of parka and trousers plus 20 other individual clothing, handwear, headwear and footwear items which are used in various combinations to meet the cold weather environmental requirements of the US Military. The Gen III ECWCS is designed to maintain adequate environmental protection in temperatures ranging between -60 and +40 Fahrenheit (about -51 and +4 Celsius)
What is NIJ 0101.06 standard or armor?
“The NIJ Standard–0101.06, ‘Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor’ is a minimum performance standard developed in collaboration with the Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It is produced as part of the Standards and Testing Program of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. This standard is a technical document that specifies the minimum performance requirements that equipment must meet to satisfy the requirements of criminal justice agencies and the methods that shall be used to test this performance. This standard is used by the NIJ Voluntary Compliance Testing Program (CTP) to determine which body armor models meet the minimum performance requirements for inclusion on the NIJ Compliant Products List. Users are strongly encouraged to have this testing conducted.
What are the different armor protection levels?
LEVEL I BODY ARMOR
The lowest protection ballistic vest that you can get is a level I vest. At this level, the only protection you will get is from small caliber pistols. The two calibers it will protect you from are the .22 caliber of any style and the .38 caliber round. Because of the availability of higher caliber rounds, level I vests are no longer listed in the NIJ standards.
LEVEL IIA BODY ARMOR
After level I, comes level IIA. At this stage, you get a little more protection with a vest that is still very flexible. A level IIA vest will protect you from the same calibers as a lower vest with the addition of 9mm full metal jacket rounds and .40 Smith and Wesson. Level IIA bullet proof vests offer lower protection than that of a level II and this sometimes leads to confusion.
LEVEL II BODY ARMOR
There is only a slight difference between a level IIA vest and a level II vest. These vests offer protection against the same calibers but 9mm can now travel up to 1245 and you can also now be protected against .357 magnum rounds.
LEVEL IIIA BODY ARMOR
As with previous levels, level IIIA will protect against all of the previously mentioned rounds. It will now protect against 9mm at 1400 feet per second. You will also have the added protection against .44 caliber and .44 magnum.
A level III vest is the first one to include protection against some rifle rounds. Instead of being a soft kevlar plate, it is a hard plate. In order to be rated/certified level III a vest must withstand 6 shots from a 7.62 x 51 NATO round traveling at up to 2780 feet per second before failing.
The last level of protection offered is a level IV vest. These are hard body armor and can protect from one round of armor piercing ammunition. That means .30 caliber or similar traveling at up to 2880 feet per second. Level IV armor is also a hard plate.
SPECIAL LEVEL ARMOR
Also referred to as special type armor, these vests are able to protect above and beyond that of the standard rating.To be a special level armor, it must be specifically stated what threat it will protect from and what speeds. This armor is labeled with a "+" (Example Level III+)