Original Item: Only One Available. The U.S. Army AN/TVS-2 Night Vision Sight for Team Weapons is a first generation night vision device, first developed during the Vietnam war era, which quickly went through several different revisions. This particular scope is version 2, without any further sub-revisions. While very large and heavy by "modern" standards, the 20 pound passive starlight TVS 2s were considered state of the art when it came to the capabilities of U.S. troops fighting at night.

These scopes first entered service at the height of the Vietnam War, and despite their cumbersome size and weight, they did prove its use among Soldiers and Marines in their patrol bases. They allowed machine gun and artillery emplacements to function far later at night than previous night vision solutions had.

These early design night vision devices were passive, and did not emit any light of their own, relying on incoming light. This was then amplified using a photocathode and an image intensifier tube in order to significantly increase image contrast. As they emit no light of any kind (IR/UV/etc) they are not detectable, however this also means that they are of limited use when there is no ambient light, which is why they are usually termed "starlight" scopes. Clear nights with star or moon light are optimal, while a cloudy night with no moon far from a city renders them ineffective.

The AN/TVS-2 was intended as a scope for team weapons such as the Browning M2HB machine gun, and has a large sight rail dovetail on the bottom, as well as adjustments for windage. A switch on the upper left activates the scope, which can be used during the day with the large adjustable front filter. The rubber eyeshield has an internal "flapper" closure that prevents light from escaping the back of the scope into the eye when not wanted.

This scope was most likely in service for years, and the data label on the right side of the scope gives information regarding the version information, as well as the contract it was made under:

Measuring 26 inches in overall length, it is definitely not a "small" scope by any means, and it is quite bulky. It looks to be complete, however we do not have any way to test it. It requires specialized batteries which unfortunately do not have access to.

A great chance to pick up an early generation night vision scope.