Aerospace
L3Harris Receives $55 Million Army Award for NOVA Night-Vision Systems
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L3Harris Technologies (LHX ) has received a $55 million award from the U.S. Army to supply the NOVA night-vision goggle system for the Binocular Night Observation Device (BiNOD) program, the company announced on October 12, 2026, from Londonderry, New Hampshire.
L3Harris said it will move directly into full-rate production of the NOVA system under the award. The company states the system’s image intensifier technology provides day-and-night, all-weather situational awareness for soldiers, and that it designed the system to meet the U.S. military’s needs for the next two decades and beyond.
“From day one, we partnered closely with the Army to design a binocular system tailored to the evolving demands of the modern battlefield,” said Brenna Baker, President of Integrated Vision Solutions in L3Harris’ Communications & Spectrum Dominance segment. “Our BiNOD solution reflects that collaboration, and we’re prepared to deliver this capability at speed and scale for soldiers.”
According to the announcement, the BiNOD award builds on L3Harris’ support of existing U.S. Department of War night-vision programs, including the Fused Panoramic Night Vision Goggle, which the company says provides U.S. Special Operations Command with situational awareness for improved mobility, targeting and lethality. L3Harris also states the NOVA system is available to allied nations investing in modernization efforts to increase situational awareness at night across their land forces.
BiNOD Contract History
The award follows the Army’s selection of L3Harris on April 13, 2026, to provide the NOVA system for the BiNOD program. Under that decision, the Army awarded L3Harris a seven-year contract worth up to $465 million, with L3Harris one of several companies chosen to support the program.
NOVA is a helmet-mounted binocular device that integrates L3Harris’ image intensifier technology. The company describes the system as modernizing fielded capabilities by providing all-hour, all-weather situational awareness for the U.S. military and allies, and as designed to meet needs for the next 20-plus years. L3Harris also describes NOVA’s unfilmed Gen III image intensifier technology as delivering clarity, range and reliability in low-light environments.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., an appropriator and senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, said in the April announcement: “Investments like this not only bolster the Granite State’s economy, but also directly contribute to the safety and security of the United States and our allies.”
Baker said in April that the company worked closely with the Army to understand its requirements for a next-generation binocular solution that is highly capable and low cost, and that L3Harris was focused on moving directly into production to quickly put the capability into the hands of soldiers.
The April release also framed the BiNOD program as building on L3Harris’ existing night-vision work, including the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle – Binocular (ENVG-B). The company said it has delivered more than 20,000 ENVG-B units to date.
NOVA System Design
In a January 19, 2026, company article, Matt Lufkin, Lead of Product Management at L3Harris, said the NOVA system is the commercial variant of the company’s proposed BiNOD system for the Army. Development of the device began in 2021 with a focus on the Army’s chief considerations for a PVS-14 replacement: a low-cost binocular system that can be universally deployed with a common configuration.
L3Harris states that one of the largest lifecycle cost reductions in the NOVA design comes from ease of maintenance and reduced downtime. If an image intensification tube requires replacement, the company says, the system’s USB-C interface means removing four screws is the only hurdle to swapping the damaged component and returning a functioning system to the field.
The company expects the ENVG-B and the Binocular Night Vision Device (BNVD), which offer enhanced threat-identification features, battery life and immersion thresholds, to remain the night-vision systems of choice for direct-combat and special operations forces for the foreseeable future, with NOVA positioned for the remainder of the force structure. Lufkin said the first to benefit from a NOVA system would be the warfighter, border patrol agent or tactical officer who lacks high-quality night vision, describing the binoculars as economical to purchase and own while providing more military-grade capability than previously available.
L3Harris says it is developing a technical roadmap for future NOVA versions, including an enhanced variant with a partial heads-up display, an attached battery and increased immersion capacity.
