THEON, a manufacturer of leading night vision and thermal imaging systems, has delivered an initial 2,000 of its ARGUS FS Mk2 night vision monocular systems to Estonian Defense Forces as part of an agreement to outfit 10,000 soldiers with night combat capabilities.
THEON’s ARGUS range is a family of innovative, full MIL-SPEC, image intensified multi-purpose and modular night vision systems that can be operated as hand-held, head/helmet-mounted or weapon-mounted. Robust and lightweight with cutting-edge optical characteristics and performance, ARGUS utilizes standard AA batteries for operation.
ARGUS allows the individual soldier to perform observation, short range surveillance, military systems aiming, map reading and medical aid operations during all night conditions. More than 75,000 ARGUS systems are in use or scheduled for delivery worldwide. THEON say that the world exports of ARGUS are indicative of the trust it has gained in the most demanding markets of the world.
The nocturnal combat capability of the Defense Forces and the Defence League, a voluntary military national defense organization, will be increased exponentially with the supply of the ARGUS FS Mk2 night vision monocular system, state the Estonian Centre for Defense Investments (ECDI), which lead the procurement process.
High ranking officers of the Estonian Defense Forces, as well as THEON’s representatives, were present during the official handover of the systems, which was attended by official officers, local TV and media.
With this contract, THEON assert that it increases its already strong presence in the Baltic states after having already supplied substantial quantities of night vision goggles and thermal equipment to Latvia and Lithuania.
THEON state that they are now a key supplier of night vision and thermal equipment to the region in the context of the military cooperation between Baltic and Scandinavian countries, which is expected to be even stronger and closer after Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO.
Ramil Lipp, Armaments Category Manager at the National Centre for Defense Investments, added; “The tender evaluation was very thorough and substantive. During the evaluation, the bids were assessed as complete sets, i.e. the entire set with night vision equipment, helmet fastening and additional equipment had to meet the conditions set in the tender. I am pleased that the competition was fierce and that the winning product fully meets the end-user requirements, the speed of delivery exceeded our expectations and the expected night fighting capability will be achieved on time.”
Mario Nõlvak, Staff Sergeant of the Equipment Battalion of the Defense Support Forces Command, commented; “All in all, the THEON Argus FS MK2 is a clear improvement in limited-light warfare. Thanks to its lighter weight and improved night vision capabilities, it is an instrument that our national defense forces will certainly be delighted with.”
Vasileios Savvaidis, Managing Director of THEON SENSORS SA, also said; “We are grateful to ECDI for their trust in THEON, giving us the chance to prove our capability in delivering what we have promised within the stipulated time frame.”
