Evaluation of Night Vision Goggles (NVG) for Maritime Search and Rescue (HH-3/HH-60) Comparison Report

Eight experiments, including seven involving helicopters, have been conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development R and D Center to evaluate night vision goggles NVGs for their effectiveness in detecting small targets at night. Three types of NVGs have been evaluated. The ANAVS-6 Aviators Night Vision Imaging System ANVIS was evaluated onboard U.S. Coast Guard HH-3F, CH-3E, and HH-60J helicopters, and HU-25C and RG-8A fixed-wing aircraft. The ANPVS-5C and ANPVS-7A NVGs were evaluated onboard U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard Search and Rescue Units SRUs in the 200-foot size range and onboard U.S. Coast Guard 41-foot utility boats UTBs. A total of 3029 target detection opportunities were generated during searches from helicopters for all the target types employed during the eight experiments. These data were first analyzed to determine whether a statistically significant difference existed in the detection performance of the HH-3CH-3 and HH-60 helicopters. The data were then analyzed to determine which of 25 search parameters of interest exerted a statistically significant influence on target detection probability. Lateral range curves and sweep width estimates are presented for SRUtarget type combinations that contained sufficient data to support this detailed analysis. Human factors data are presented and discussed.... Search and Rescue, Night Vision, Night Vision Goggles, Sweep Width, Unlighted Targets, Lighted Targets, Search, Life Raft, Lighted, Unlighted