Kauffmann-Bremin today introduced the KB DT-M™ (Dual Tube Modular), a modular, image-intensified dual-tube night vision binocular.
Released exactly one year after the KB DT-2™ entered service, the DT-M adds the three capabilities operators most requested, manual gain, external power and onboard infrared, through a patent-pending magnetic control system that keeps the device completely sealed.
One year of the KB DT-2™
Over the past year the KB DT-2™ completed multiple military trials with special and regular forces across Europe. The device was designed around three pillars, reliability, dependability and repairability, and Kauffmann-Bremin stood ready with a full spare-parts catalogue for any repair. To date, no device from the production batch has been returned for repair or replacement, and no spare-part order has been placed. The KB DT-M™ builds on that record.
A different foundation for controls
Feedback from the fleet pointed to a gap between what operators want and what the market offers. For more than a decade the category has converged on a single control paradigm, the rotary control knob, which has become the low-risk default in public tenders. In Kauffmann-Bremin’s trials, operators found it slow and unintuitive under pressure: turning the device on or off, or switching infrared, can require a learned push or twist sequence, and seconds are lost executing it. A control scheme that depends on drilled muscle memory, and that can still fail on the first attempt in a high-intensity situation, was, in the Company’s view, the wrong foundation for a new device.
AsymMCS™: the core advance
At the heart of the KB DT-M™ is the patent-pending AsymMCS™, Kauffmann-Bremin’s Asymmetric Magnetic Control System. Each control pairs an external moving switch containing a small magnet with an internal solid-state sensor. This gives the device individual switches at no additional weight and keeps it completely hermetically sealed, with no new points of potential failure. Kauffmann-Bremin developed a method of arranging multiple internal sensors to detect and correct for external magnetic interference, neutralising a long-standing weak point and making the technology viable for the DT-M and the wider product line.
An interface built for the operator
AsymMCS™ lets each function sit at its own location, with no button clustering and no encoding sequence. Infrared is on a switch on the left arm, power on a central switch as on the KB DT-2™, and manual gain on a slider on the right arm. Every control gives immediate haptic feedback, a click into place or a slide, with no activation delay, and each is positioned for use with gloves, in cold weather and under water. Each function engages in a fraction of a second. Kauffmann-Bremin reports that military trials of the interface have been strongly positive. In high-pressure situations, the Company describes this speed and certainty as the operator’s Asymmetric Advantage.
External power and data
The KB DT-M™ adds an external power and data port on a waterproof, USB-compatible connector that accepts a wide range of power sources through dedicated adapter cables, including Fischer-style and ANVIS Lemo-style battery packs and USB-C. The same connector carries a service interface, so a certified technician can run diagnostics, configuration, calibration, feature management and firmware updates without opening the device. This keeps maintenance simple and supports readiness across the service life.
KB DT-M™ TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Battery type: 1x CR123 or 1x AA
- Battery life: 25 h at 18°C (65°F)
- Remote power: Standard and USB compatible
- Auto-off on stow: Yes (configurable)
- Image intensifier tubes: 18 mm and 16 mm
- Field of view: 40° or 47° (18 mm IIT); 42°(16 mm IIT)
- Individual pod shut-off: Yes
- Interpupillary stop: Yes, friction based
- IR illuminator: Single IR with highlight cut-off, Dual IR, or Triple IR
- Manual gain: Yes, 3 and 4 pad tube configuration
- Manual gain, left / right calibration: Yes
- Weight (with RPO PVS-14 optics): 496 g
- Operating temperature: -30°C to 50°C
- Storage temperature: -50°C to 70°C
- Water immersion: 20 m for 2 hours
- Low battery indicator: Yes, approximately 30 minutes
- IR indicator: Yes
- Electromagnetic shielding: Full
- Environmental standard: MIL-STD-810H
- Dedicated interface IR illuminator: Yes
- Dedicated interface manual gain: Yes
Power and data connector. Internal and external with automatic switchover (1.5 V to 5.5 V), plus a USB data and power port adapter. The KB DT-M™ provides a service interface on the external power connector, supporting diagnostics, configuration, calibration, feature management and firmware updates by a certified technician without opening the device.
- Brightness adjustment curve (tube fit)
- Brightness calibration between left and right tube
- Flip-up tilt detection with tube safety (configurable tilt angle)
- No-motion power save (configurable timeout and threshold)
- Tube and device runtime counters and maintenance telemetry
- Encrypted firmware updates (no drivers, no softwareinstallation)
- Low battery LED with configurable threshold
Source: Kaufmann-Bremin news release
