Russian Company Develops New Binoculars for the Navy

Shvabe Holding, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned Rostec, presented prototypes of binoculars being developed for the Navy.

The Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant (ZOMZ) of the Shvabe holding unveiled two new products - high magnification binoculars with image stabilization BSF 20x50 and small-sized binoculars BPF 8x20, Rostec said in a release.

The BSF binoculars are designed for observing distant objects and determining the distance to them by linear and angular dimensions. The stabilization mechanism of the device does not require a power supply, turns on without a time delay and provides the ability to pan at high speed without losing image quality, including from a moving base. 

The FFT binoculars are designed for the purpose of observing the surrounding area during daylight hours. The device has an eight-fold increase and separate focusing, which provides increased sharpness and contrast of the image, has a compact size and weighs up to 300 grams. Like binoculars BSF, it determines the distance to objects by their angular dimensions. Due to the coating, the optical and body parts of the FFT are resistant to aggressive environments.

“Both optical devices are used in a wide temperature range from -50 to + 70 ° C. Their high-strength and sealed magnesium alloy housing is filled with dry nitrogen. Both devices are made in accordance with the state standard of resistance to external influencing factors, which is applied to marine equipment,” said ZOMZ interim general director Konstantin Pertsev. 

The products are currently undergoing preliminary tests. For the first time, prototypes of binoculars were shown at the Army-2021 international military-technical forum in Kubinka.