OCCAR-EA has awarded a contract on behalf of Belgium and Germany for the procurement of Night Vision Goggles (NVG) to the Consortium of Hensoldt Optronics GmbH and THEON Sensors SA. The contract is the result of a Europe-wide competition with a strong field of tenderers. The contract was signed by the Director of OCCAR-EA and representatives of industry on 22 June 2021 at the OCCAR premises in Bonn.
Participating States Representatives outlined the outstanding achievements of the Night Vision Capability (NVC) Programme and the highly performing management provided by OCCAR as well as the close cooperation between the two Nations.
The Contract Notice relating to the acquisition of NVG Sets was published together with a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) on 18 March 2020. After the signature of the Initial ProgD on 20 April 2020, committing the Participating State to the Programme, the NVC Programme Division (PD) was established on 01 May 2020. The PD’s main activity in the first three months was to prepare and issue the Invitation to Tender for the NVGs Contract by 30 July 2020.
Subsequent to the evaluation of the Tenders received, negotiations were conducted with the three best ranked tenderers. The final selection was made based on these tenderers’ Best and Final Offers. With the completion of the national approval processes of the required budget, OCCAR was able to sign the Contract within only 14 months after the start of the Programme.
The NVG Contract covers the production of 4,550 MIKRON Night Vision Goggle Sets (NVG Sets) for Belgium and 5,000 MIKRON NVG Sets for Germany. Furthermore, it includes the provision of Initial Spare Parts, training, documentation, 1,789 Head Mounting Systems for Germany and initial In-Service Support (ISS) of five years for Belgium. The contract also secures firm prices for options that cover initial ISS for Germany, follow-on ISS for both Nations, and the procurement of up to 20,000 additional NVG Sets.
The selected MIKRON NVG is an innovative, light weight, image intensified, dual tube binocular that is able to be operated helmet-mounted, head-mounted, or hand-held. The system also features an integrated infrared illuminator. For momentary configuration changes, the user can flip away each monocular separately. The MIKRON is powered by a self-contained single AA battery but can also be used with a remote battery pack for increased operating time.
The first delivery of a small number of NVG Sets will take place in July 2021 to start an Operational Testing and Acceptance campaign. The delivery of the first production batch for Belgium is scheduled for the end of 2021. The last batch under this contract will be delivered during the first quarter of 2024.
The aim of this programme is to increase Belgium’s and Germany’s night vision capability of dismounted soldiers and drivers of military vehicles. In addition, the common procurement of the NVGs will increase the interoperability and decrease the logistic footprint in operational theatres where both Nations are deployed together.
Source: OCCAR news release
