clasky
07-02-10, 19:05
I once listened to a lecture given by a very prolific Industrial Designer. While I'll spare you the flowery form-follows-function and emotional investment in product purchases crap, there was one phrase he said that really stuck with me: "Innovate or die." While those words came off as harsh and somewhat shocking to the liberal art school audience that surrounded me, where any insinuation of combat or death was more than their fragile psyches could bear, they reverberated in my head for years after. "Innovate or die!" Of course, the speaker was eluding to the fact that no company can afford to sit still and maintain the status-quo. Rather, in order to stay competitive in today's market, companies need to constantly innovate and shift paradigms to keep consumers interested. If they become complacent, the competition will introduce something newer, better, sexier, etc., and sales will fall.
But, coming from a military background before entering college, my mind raced as I began applying the concept of "innovate or die" to so many other experiences. In this industry, the phrase "innovate or die" takes on a dual meaning. Not only is it crucial to develop new products to keep the market interested and customers coming back, but it also applies to the act of making war and visiting violence on our enemies. The Warfighter or Law Enforcement Professional may not be developing new products themselves (though, some of the best designers in this industry hail from these professions), but they are using the new products to wage war on the enemies of freedom. No where is it more true, than on the battlefield, that one must "innovate or (quite literally) die." Whether or not we want to admit it, today's enemy is crafty, resourceful, and innovative. So, it is evident that we must innovate to stay ahead of him and increase the survivability of our brave men and women in uniform.
An old adage of product development is that the simplest solutions are usually the best. With that in mind, we at TNVC sought out to develop a product that would benefit the Warfighter and Law Enforcement Professional when conducting operations under night vision. One of the best ways to deploy a night vision device is mounting it on a helmet. This hands-free method allows the shooter to more quickly and easily survey the battleground and engage threats more quickly. It requires the use of an infrared laser that can only be viewed through night vision, to aim the weapon. The laser beam can be seen by anyone employing a night vision device. Unfortunately, today's bad guys have night vision too. This severely compromises our forces because the lasers pinpoint their location to enemy units. This problem required a solution that would enable the shooter to use his/her AN/PVS-14 night vision device in a passive posture (i.e. mounting it on the gun, using the M68 CCO as the aiming device). There are a lot of different PVS-14 weapon mounting options available. Some feature quick disconnect capability, but none were versatile enough to meet a professional's needs.
After being dissatisfied with the current market offerings, we embarked to develop a homogeneous system that would allow the Warfighter and Law Enforcement Professional the utmost in versatility so they could meet today's threats. The result is the new TNVC TM14. The TM14 affords the operator the ability to go from "active" to "passive" in seconds. This was a key requirement in the design. The TM14 would have to allow the PVS-14 to be transferred from a helmet/head mount to a weapon in seconds. What sets our mount apart from the rest is simple: good design. While other PVS-14 mounts exist using throw levers, they are bulky, heavy, and must be removed completely if the operator is to mount the device on a helmet. Otherwise, the large weapon mount will obscure the user's vision and place un-needed weight on the operator's helmet, leading to neck and back strain.
Our TM14 is the lowest profile, lightest mount available. It consists of a precision machined aluminum ring with a footprint base that interfaces with the Aimpoint Twist Mount Base. The Twist Mount stays mounted on the gun's receiver (allowing the operator to attach other accessories like the Aimpoint 3x Magnifier or CEU), while only the small TNVC TM14 stays attached to the PVS-14. The TM14 locks around the PVS-14's Objective Lens Locking Ring, leaving the J-Arm Helmet Mount Adapter intact on the device. Since both the TM14 and J-Arm are lightweight, low profile parts, they can both stay attached to the PVS-14 when mounted on a helmet or weapon! Unlike other mounts on the market, our TM14 does not interfere with the PVS-14 Gain Adjustment Knob or IR Illuminator. It is easy to install and stays, mostly, within the profile of the NVG.
"Innovate or die." When the cost of complacency is death, we cannot afford to allow our servicemen and women to go into harm's way without the equipment they need to dominate the fight. That is our core principal at TNVC. We have been using night vision operationally for years and have built a reputation as the best source for night optics for professionals and civilians alike. We also have a solid history of developing new and innovative products for the tactical market. Keep your eyes on the horizon, because we are just getting warmed up!
http://tnvc.com/items/weapon_moounts_rings/tnvc_tm14.html
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/TM14/TM14_1.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/TM14_2.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/TNVCsl_0691.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/TNVCsl_0673.jpg
But, coming from a military background before entering college, my mind raced as I began applying the concept of "innovate or die" to so many other experiences. In this industry, the phrase "innovate or die" takes on a dual meaning. Not only is it crucial to develop new products to keep the market interested and customers coming back, but it also applies to the act of making war and visiting violence on our enemies. The Warfighter or Law Enforcement Professional may not be developing new products themselves (though, some of the best designers in this industry hail from these professions), but they are using the new products to wage war on the enemies of freedom. No where is it more true, than on the battlefield, that one must "innovate or (quite literally) die." Whether or not we want to admit it, today's enemy is crafty, resourceful, and innovative. So, it is evident that we must innovate to stay ahead of him and increase the survivability of our brave men and women in uniform.
An old adage of product development is that the simplest solutions are usually the best. With that in mind, we at TNVC sought out to develop a product that would benefit the Warfighter and Law Enforcement Professional when conducting operations under night vision. One of the best ways to deploy a night vision device is mounting it on a helmet. This hands-free method allows the shooter to more quickly and easily survey the battleground and engage threats more quickly. It requires the use of an infrared laser that can only be viewed through night vision, to aim the weapon. The laser beam can be seen by anyone employing a night vision device. Unfortunately, today's bad guys have night vision too. This severely compromises our forces because the lasers pinpoint their location to enemy units. This problem required a solution that would enable the shooter to use his/her AN/PVS-14 night vision device in a passive posture (i.e. mounting it on the gun, using the M68 CCO as the aiming device). There are a lot of different PVS-14 weapon mounting options available. Some feature quick disconnect capability, but none were versatile enough to meet a professional's needs.
After being dissatisfied with the current market offerings, we embarked to develop a homogeneous system that would allow the Warfighter and Law Enforcement Professional the utmost in versatility so they could meet today's threats. The result is the new TNVC TM14. The TM14 affords the operator the ability to go from "active" to "passive" in seconds. This was a key requirement in the design. The TM14 would have to allow the PVS-14 to be transferred from a helmet/head mount to a weapon in seconds. What sets our mount apart from the rest is simple: good design. While other PVS-14 mounts exist using throw levers, they are bulky, heavy, and must be removed completely if the operator is to mount the device on a helmet. Otherwise, the large weapon mount will obscure the user's vision and place un-needed weight on the operator's helmet, leading to neck and back strain.
Our TM14 is the lowest profile, lightest mount available. It consists of a precision machined aluminum ring with a footprint base that interfaces with the Aimpoint Twist Mount Base. The Twist Mount stays mounted on the gun's receiver (allowing the operator to attach other accessories like the Aimpoint 3x Magnifier or CEU), while only the small TNVC TM14 stays attached to the PVS-14. The TM14 locks around the PVS-14's Objective Lens Locking Ring, leaving the J-Arm Helmet Mount Adapter intact on the device. Since both the TM14 and J-Arm are lightweight, low profile parts, they can both stay attached to the PVS-14 when mounted on a helmet or weapon! Unlike other mounts on the market, our TM14 does not interfere with the PVS-14 Gain Adjustment Knob or IR Illuminator. It is easy to install and stays, mostly, within the profile of the NVG.
"Innovate or die." When the cost of complacency is death, we cannot afford to allow our servicemen and women to go into harm's way without the equipment they need to dominate the fight. That is our core principal at TNVC. We have been using night vision operationally for years and have built a reputation as the best source for night optics for professionals and civilians alike. We also have a solid history of developing new and innovative products for the tactical market. Keep your eyes on the horizon, because we are just getting warmed up!
http://tnvc.com/items/weapon_moounts_rings/tnvc_tm14.html
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/EE/TM14/TM14_1.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/TM14_2.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/TNVCsl_0691.jpg
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/clasky/TNVCsl_0673.jpg