Taiwan to Spend NT$10.7 Billion on More Than 50,000 Night-Vision Devices

Taiwan’s military is preparing to spend NT$10.7 billion on more than 50,000 night-vision devices after troops using binocular equipment during low-light exercises drew public attention.

The Army will coordinate the four-year procurement of 41,000 monocular devices and 10,778 binocular devices under the second phase of a national night-vision equipment program. The Navy, Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command, and military police will also purchase equipment for wartime nighttime guard duties.

The Army said the new devices will help units monitor important targets and key areas. They are intended to reduce blind spots that enemies could use to breach defensive lines at night, infiltrate positions, or sabotage military and strategic sites.

The order will be produced by the Ministry of National Defense’s Armaments Bureau. It includes the first mass production of the domestically developed TS113, a binocular night-vision device first revealed in 2024 and approved in army testing last year.

The TS113 weighs less than 640 grams and uses a third-generation white-phosphor image intensifier. Its figure of merit ranges from 1,600 to 1,800, and it can operate underwater at a depth of one meter for up to an hour. The device can use commercially available lithium batteries and may later be paired with the T112 rifle laser designator.