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06 Nov 14. Navy Seals Night Vision Goggles Revealed. With the release of his book, “No Easy Day,” Matt Bissonette, a former Navy SEAL, became a public figure by chronicling the events of the United States military raid that killed Osama bin Laden. He is also accused of discussing classified information relating to the special night vision goggles worn during the military operation, reported Defense One. However, the $65,000 goggles are for sale all over the Internet, according to Defense One. CBS News’ “60 Minutes” has even shown pictures of the goggles during its segment on Bissonette, who is currently under investigation by the United States government for not honoring his agreement of not disclosing classified information by releasing his book. The goggles were also worn by actors in “Zero Dark Thirty,” a movie about the bin Laden mission and killing. The goggles in question were formally called L-3 Insight’s Ground Panoramic Night Vision Goggle. The special four-tube night vision goggles provide a wider viewing area than traditional night vision goggles. They also have special lenses that adjust to varying degrees of light, similar to cat eyes. The goggles are manufactured in Londonderry, New Hampshire by L-3 Warrior Systems’ Insight division, which specializes in technology for the military and law enforcement. Since 2010, the Defense Department has spent over $12.5m developing the goggles, according to federal contracting data. Anyone can buy Chinese knock-offs or choose from two models of goggles, GPNVG or GPNVG-18, which start at $35,000 on Amazon or eBay. Whether or not Bissonette compromised military technology could soon be a moot point. DARPA is already in the process of developing more compact and lightweight goggles. They will look more like Google Glass and cost the taxpayers less than $5,000 per unit. For the longer term, University of Michigan researchers have created a thin infrared sensor made of graphene that they want to adapt for contacts lenses. (Source: Open Source Information Report/D&T)
10 Nov 14. USAF outlines divestiture plans for MC-12W Liberty aircraft. The US Air Force (USAF) has set out its timetable for transferring control of its Beechcraft MC-12W Liberty special mission aircraft over to the US Army and Special Operations Command (SOCOM). According to an article posted on the USAF’s website on 10 November, the process has already begun, with “a portion” of the aircraft already transferred to army control (though still operated by the air force). “The relationship will continue through next year,” the USAF article said, adding: “only the army will own the aircraft and air force crews will augment army personnel. The air force will provide the processing, exploitation and dissemination of MC-12W information in fiscal [year] 2015, in support of army missions. In [FY] 2016, army personnel will take on the whole mission.” No details pertaining to SOCOM were disclosed in the article. Having withdrawn the MC-12W from Iraq in 2011, the USAF announced in September that it had withdrawn the aircraft of the 361st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron (ERS) from southern Afghanistan after four years in Kandahar, leaving only those operated by 4th ERS operating out of Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul. During its time in Afghanistan, the MC-12W has “aided in the kill or capture of more than 8,000 terrorists, discovered more than 650 weapons caches, helped divert convoys around improvised explosive devices, provided over watch for large numbers of coalition forces, and saved coalition lives,” according to the air force. As part of the wider drawdown of operations in Afghanistan, the USAF is divesting itself of the MC-12W so that is can invest in capabilities suited for highly contested operations. “The transfer of MC-12s to the army and [SOCOM] is part of th