
Vetted and accurate "Opticsgate" Mil-spec PVS-14 vs. Contract PVS-14 optics clarification and some history
There seems to be a lot of confusion and I am simply offering info, do with it what you will. This entire thing refers to PVS-14 ICD optics specifically. TLDR it’s a bunch of malarky and your optics are likely fine and what you paid for, most of you.
First up, Mil-Spec does not mean generically Carson, Carson simply sells Mil-Spec and they do not make optics, they contract the manufacturing out. Now there is some history here that is important. It used to be QIoptiq in Singapore and Fujinon in Japan. QI got out of it some time ago and is also owned by Excelitas now. Qi getting out did 2 things. 1. a shortage of optics. 2. No competition for Fujinon which risked price hikes. To address this, Carson, now called Noctis for legal reasons, tooled up companies in the US. So now there are some US sources. I know Salvo, now known as Torrent Photonics, is one of those and they make eyepieces to the Mil-Spec (At Nocturn we use those US made Torrent eyepieces from a different source, as well as noctis when available which can be Fujinon as well). The objectives Noctis sells are Fujinon, and I have not yet confirmed other objective sources, torrent was working on some so it could be them. L3 and Elbit are still using Fujinon to my knowledge, but I don't know for certain who else they may be using. The pvs31D isn't even made in the US and that I have been told uses Chinese made optics, I have not confirmed this. But nonetheless those optics are in military service. Different issue.
I want to clear up "Mil-Spec" as well. It seems there is confusion between Mil-Spec and DoD contract optics. Mil-Spec is simply a specification the optics must meet and conform to. Now this can get convoluted for some who associate Mil-Spec with contract optics. But for all intents and purposes "Mil-Spec" means the optics meet or exceed specific performance requirements outlined in the military specification. The Mil-Spec honestly is not that good, but QI and Fuji spoiled everyone by far exceeding those requirements and set the bar high. Many manufacturers do indeed meet the Mil-Spec and advertise their optics on the product data sheets as Mil-Spec, even AGM even though those optics are not that great, and I don’t recommend those ever. Contract Mil-Spec optics are the Mil-Spec optics being sold to the DoD. There are specific qualifying processes and batches and approved vendors that supply those optics. Those are attached to NSN numbers and specific CAGE codes. Those are not the only Mil-Spec optics; however, they are the only Mil-Spec optics being supplied to DoD. Generically saying Mil-Spec is very confusing for everyone. I see Mil-Spec often referred to as Carson (noctis) as if those are the only supplier. They are not.
CAGE codes mean nothing more than an identifier of a manufacturer/supplier. It is required in order to be awarded US contracts through SAM. I can slap a CAGE code on Chinese optics, and it means nothing at all except that they came from me. But, since CAGE codes do identify where the optic came from, if it is L3, Elbit, or Noctis they will likely be DoD contract optics. There are some others as well. My point is, don’t solely rely on CAGE codes.
Steele is one of the optics sources being brought up, much like Noctis they offer objectives made by another company. Those optics, to my knowledge, do exceed the Mil-Spec minimum performance requirements and they are very nice unlike some of the other Mil-Spec offerings out there, (Nocturn and many other companies carry those objectives as Mil-Spec equivalent offerings). I do not know the name of the OEM currently. If you have received "Mil-Spec" optics from Nocturn they have been either Noctis, Torrent (Salvo), or Steele and sometimes we get in Elbit and L3 from time to time in small quantities. We do not offer poorly performing optics. Even if optics meet Mil-Spec it does not mean they are great, we evaluate our optics before offering them.
All this stems from QIoptiq (Excelitas) pulling out in 2022 and there only being one supplier of contract Mil-Spec optics. In order to fill the void, alternatives were sought out to avoid insane lead times, but by no means does that mean the optics being sold in place of Noctis (Carson) are subpar, garbage, or below the Mil-Spec. It also comes from a "whistleblower" trying to light a nonsense fire who happens to be the main conduit of Chinese Argus products being imported into the US and happens to be sitting on a large amount of RPO commercial specification optics that fail submersion ratings, at least to my knowledge on that last bit. Seems a bit convenient to me, but that’s my 2 cents.
If you want contract Mil-Spec optics specifically when purchasing look for QIoptiq (Excelitas), Fujinon, Noctis, L3, Torrent (Salvo), or Elbit.
Shortly the RPO 4.0 optics will be available and those are also designed to meet the Mil-Spec requirements. A few other Mil-Spec options I am aware of but cannot disclose due to legal NDA will also be coming out. Some US made, some not.
I am going to try to compile a list of optics for everyone to reference. It may take some time, especially with SHOT around the corner.
If you have been lied to and your optics are Chinese or otherwise subpar lenses, definitely contact your dealers. You will know because they typically have awful distortion (minimal is normal and ok on the edges but definitely not the center) or a fishbowl effect, chromatic aberrations, ghosting (double images). Note: RPO, Boomslang, and other lightweight optics do have substantially noticeable veiling glare that is not as good as fully glass optics due to being partially polymer, it is a tradeoff for being lightweight, they are otherwise excellent.
If you purchased a Chinese made goggle, chances are your optics are not Mil-Spec. RIX, Argus, Iray, Lindu, etc.
Some of you are very particular about the optics you want and need, which is perfectly fine. But for most of you, your optics being contract Mil-Spec or generic Mil-Spec/Mil-Spec equivalent are perfectly fine and are indistinguishable without testing equipment as long as they are from a reputable company. If you bought from dealers like DARQ, Steele, CNV, CHS, Nightline, Licentia, Nocturnality, Apollo, TNVC, Nocturn, LLI, NVInc, and many of the other dealers they supply, chances are you are in good hands and have not been ripped off or lied to