Units have had a real problem with Soldiers not reporting missing power and gain control knobs from AN/PVS-14 night vision devices.
Power or gain knobs disappear? Get them replaced ASAP
They keep using the AN/PVS-14 without the knobs and next thing you know the knob shaft is broken. What would have been a cheap repair suddenly becomes an expensive one.
The same goes for the objective lens cap. Without it, the image intensifier tube gets damaged by too much light.
That costs $1.5K to replace.
It’s normal for items like knobs and caps to disappear when you go to the field. But report it when they do. They can be replaced in minutes. And you’ve saved your unit expensive repairs.
Here are the NSNs for the knobs and cap:
| Item |
NSN |
Cost |
| Power knob |
5930-01-246-8264 |
$4.17 |
| Gain control knob |
5355-01-524-3881 |
$4.18 |
| Objective lens cap |
5340-01-397-6608 |
$0.41 |
Three other things often disappear:
| Item |
NSN |
Cost |
Notes: |
| Eyeguard* |
6650-01-444-1229 |
$21.00 |
It’s used when the sight is mounted on a weapon |
| Eyecup* |
5855-01-246-8273 |
$3.00 |
It’s used when it’s mounted on a helmet |
| Neck cord |
4020-01-446-8097 |
$0.47 |
|
| *Both the eyeguard and eyecup prevent light from shining from the eyepiece that could alert the enemy. |
The best protection for the AN/PVS-14 is the storage case, NSN 5855-01-398-4284. If Soldiers store the sight in the case when not in use, it won’t be damaged or disappear. They can tie the case to their pack with something like 550 cord.