Aviation Specialties Unlimited’s (ASU’s) groundbreaking new E3 and E3 PANO systems are redefining night vision goggle (NVG) technology in aviation worldwide.
Founded 30 years ago, ASU set out to bring military-grade NVGs to the civilian market, improving safety in night operations. Since then, the company has pioneered civil NVG adoption, working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and other regulatory authorities to help establish NVG regulations for civilian use, while also making the U.S. military’s aviation night vision imaging systems (ANVIS) available commercially.
Today, ASU’s own innovative goggle designs are enhancing NVG operations by improving safety and reducing the strain and fatigue often associated with legacy systems.
ASU E3 NVG – Rewriting the Book
Only two manufacturers originally produced the Army Navy/Audio Visual System (AN/AVS) night vision imaging system. Over the years, upgrades were incremental, with one of the most significant — white phosphor — debuting in 2014. Still, the overall design and housing had remained virtually unchanged since the early 1980s. With batteries and counterweights, the system weighs up to 1.3 pounds (590 grams), while its bulky metal-and-plastic design restricts peripheral visibility around the lenses.
In 2019, ASU set out to design a new white phosphor goggle from the ground up — one that was lighter, smaller, and offered greater visibility around the goggles for a safer, more comfortable solution.
“Customer feedback played a central role in our design process,” said ASU vice president of sales Dan Meyer. “Pilots wanted better ergonomics. They needed a lighter, smaller system that delivered the same night vision capabilities but allowed them to see around the goggles with less obstruction, improving situational awareness.”
The result was the revolutionary ASU E3 NVG system, unveiled in 2024, weighing just 13.76 oz (390 g).
Machined from aluminum, the E3 is 30 percent lighter than the plastic-heavy AN/AVS-9 and offers significantly more distance between the goggles and the eye, thanks to the removal of bulky plastic housing. This reduces strain on pilots’ necks both from the system’s weight and from the head movements required to view instruments outside the goggles.
“The E3 maintains the 40-degree field of view with superior white phosphor imagery, while giving pilots 20 percent more visibility around the goggles,” said ASU director of aviation operations Tony Tsantles. “Pilots quickly have access to additional information and increased situational awareness by moving their eyes as opposed to moving their entire head, which gives them considerable safety advantages with less fatigue.”
Other customer-driven improvements in the E3 over legacy systems include co-located eyepiece and objective focus rings on the outer end of the goggles for quick adjustments, a quick-release cam lock to move the goggles fore and aft on the mount, increased hinge resistance to hold position during flight vibrations, and a retractable lanyard that protects the goggles from damage if they are bumped from their mount — among other enhancements.
The ASU E3 has received FAA technical standard order (TSO) certification and EASA approval, and adoption is gaining momentum both in the U.S. and internationally.
The Next Level – E3 PANO
Through a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award, ASU recently advanced its technology with the development of the E3 PANO. Building on the E3’s design, this lightweight system integrates four tubes into a single goggle, giving pilots an unprecedented 97-degree white phosphor field of view.
The result is dramatically improved situational awareness with significantly less fatigue. Remarkably, despite nearly doubling the tubes and housing, the E3 PANO weighs about the same as the current AN/AVS-9. It also adds adjustable diopters and objectives — a feature not found in earlier panoramic goggle options.
“The E3 PANO gives pilots an even higher level of situational awareness with more night vision, which is valuable for flights over water, aerial refueling, firefighting, hoist operations, and other missions where you have to do a lot of scanning, but the real benefit is ergonomics,” said Chad St. Francis, ASU vice president of business development. “Constant neck travel creates strain and neck and back issues down the road. When we put the E3 PANOs on pilots in the simulator, they’re moving their eyes, not their necks, significantly reducing strain.”
Growth in Europe
To date, more than 600 E3 NVG systems have been sold worldwide. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, PHI Air Medical, Boston MedFlight, and numerous law enforcement agencies across the U.S. operate with the E3. In Europe, the system is in use with Heli-Austria, Heli-Flight in Germany, and the Norwegian Air Ambulance. The E3 PANO is also in active service with paramilitary and military operators in the U.S., and is currently under evaluation by a military branch in Europe.
Visit ASU at European Rotors 2025 in Cologne, Germany, from Nov. 18 to 20, at Booth 624 in Hall 8 to experience the E3 and E3 PANO in person.
This sponsored article was created by Insight magazine, the sponsored content division of MHM Publishing.
