Hello everybody,
having watched several TV documentaries recently about Royal Navy vessels (RN carrier ops and HMS Duncan) I noticed what sorts of binoculars get used on their bridges these days.
To me it looked like mostly some military Hensoldt 7x50 in black plastic protective covers are used plus the odd Zeiss Marine 7x50 and even one (higher magnification?) commercial Swarovski. The latter possibly privately owned?
I wondered about those newish looking Hensoldts. Are they still currently made or did the RN order some big batch some time ago? Do they service them themselves? It would make sense to use them as they are both good performing and laser protected. The German Navy uses the very same type designated "Fero D18" but in olive green only not in black. Can RN personnel buy these binoculars somewhere? Most looked like "official use" with marking rings and custom lanyards so not truly private.
Hope this non bird-centered question is permitted and hope it's not violating any military NDA or similar. This type of binoculars itself is known for years however officially it has never been sold on the commercial market as the entire development was paid for by the German MOD. Not sure if it is currently still built new? At least manufacturer servicing seems to be not possible anymore.
Thanks for your answers.
having watched several TV documentaries recently about Royal Navy vessels (RN carrier ops and HMS Duncan) I noticed what sorts of binoculars get used on their bridges these days.
To me it looked like mostly some military Hensoldt 7x50 in black plastic protective covers are used plus the odd Zeiss Marine 7x50 and even one (higher magnification?) commercial Swarovski. The latter possibly privately owned?
I wondered about those newish looking Hensoldts. Are they still currently made or did the RN order some big batch some time ago? Do they service them themselves? It would make sense to use them as they are both good performing and laser protected. The German Navy uses the very same type designated "Fero D18" but in olive green only not in black. Can RN personnel buy these binoculars somewhere? Most looked like "official use" with marking rings and custom lanyards so not truly private.
Hope this non bird-centered question is permitted and hope it's not violating any military NDA or similar. This type of binoculars itself is known for years however officially it has never been sold on the commercial market as the entire development was paid for by the German MOD. Not sure if it is currently still built new? At least manufacturer servicing seems to be not possible anymore.
Thanks for your answers.
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