Image intensifier tubes are not universal. A tube must match its housing in size, image orientation, electrical connection and package. This page explains the main formats and the terms you will see on tube data sheets. For the companies behind the tubes see tube manufacturers; for tube age see production years and contracts. All pages: night vision database.
How to read this page: facts confirmed by a manufacturer, a government document or trade press are stated plainly. Facts that rest only on an encyclopedia, community wiki or similar source are marked (secondary source). Points we could not confirm are either left out or marked (not confirmed).
Tube sizes: 18 mm, 16 mm and 25 mm
The size refers to the nominal diameter of the active input area. It is the first thing to check, because tubes of different sizes are different physical formats.
18 mm
18 mm is the most common format in current goggles, monoculars and binoculars. The US MX-10130, MX-10160 and MX-11769 tubes are all 18 mm. Photonis (Exosens) lists its 18 mm tubes in two package sizes: a larger package it calls FAT ANVIS (about 100 g) and a smaller one called SMALL ANVIS (about 75 g). Overall length and outside diameter differ between packages; we did not find them in the sources we checked, so they are not listed here.
16 mm
16 mm tubes are smaller and lighter. Photonis states it was the first developer of a 16 mm tube and gives a weight of about 45 g, with a size and weight reduction of roughly half compared with 18 mm. In 2021 a Photonis 16 mm 4G tube was selected for the Elbit Systems XACT nv32 Micro monocular for the Dutch Ministry of Defence. NNVT also lists a 16 mm format (secondary source). A 16 mm tube needs a housing designed for 16 mm; it does not replace an 18 mm tube (our inference from the different format).
25 mm
25 mm tubes were used in older US weapon sights such as the AN/PVS-4 and AN/TVS-5. Under the Omnibus V contract Litton delivered the MX-11620, a 25 mm Gen III tube, to upgrade these sights. Today 25 mm intensifiers are also made for scientific cameras; Photonis announced a new 25 mm scientific intensifier in 2024.
MX designations
MX numbers are US military type designations for tube assemblies. An MX number describes form, fit and function: the size, the image orientation, the electrical interface and the device it is meant for. It does not tell you who made the tube or when. Each manufacturer also has its own part numbers for the same MX type.
| Designation | Size | Main features | Typical devices | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MX-10130 | 18 mm | Non-inverting; integrated power supply, autogated in modern versions | AN/PVS-7A, 7B, 7D and PVS-7-type goggles | MX-10130A/UV (PVS-7A) and MX-10130B/UV (PVS-7B) differ in electrical contacts, external dimensions and output window curvature. Later C/D variants are reported (secondary source). |
| MX-10160 | 18 mm | Fixed maximum gain with automatic brightness control; no gain-control pigtail | AN/AVS-6 and AN/AVS-9 (ANVIS), AN/PVS-23, GPNVG (four tubes) | Elbit America part numbers F9400 and F9800. Photonis offers 18 mm ANVIS-type packages. |
| MX-11769 | 18 mm | Inverting; autogated; manual (field-adjustable) gain via a ribbon-cable pigtail | AN/PVS-14, AN/PVS-31A (BNVD), ENVG-B, weapon sights | Elbit America part numbers F9415 and F9815. Rated life of 12,000 hours of continuous use was reported by trade press in 2022. |
| MX-11620 | 25 mm | Gen III | AN/PVS-4 and AN/TVS-5 weapon sights | Delivered by Litton under Omnibus V as an upgrade for existing sights. |
| MX-9916 | 18 mm | Gen II microchannel wafer tube | AN/PVS-5 (secondary source) | Covered by military specification MIL-PRF-49052G (1999). |
If you see an MX number on a listing that is not in this table, ask for the factory data sheet. We have left out designations that we could not confirm.
Inverting vs non-inverting tubes
An objective lens forms an image that is upside down and reversed. Something in the device has to turn it the right way up again. In most current designs the tube does this: its fiber-optic output window is twisted 180 degrees. These are called inverting tubes. In the AN/PVS-7 family the optics erect the image instead, so these devices use the non-inverting MX-10130 (secondary source).
Commercial datasheets describe MX-11769 tubes as having an inverting output. MX-10160 tubes are used in ANVIS-type optics and are generally described as inverting, but we did not find this stated in a primary manufacturer datasheet.
Fitting a non-inverting tube where an inverting one is needed, or the other way round, gives an upside-down image. The two types are also mechanically different, so they are not interchangeable.
Gain control and the pigtail
An MX-11769 tube has a short ribbon cable, often called the pigtail. It connects to the gain knob of the housing and lets the user turn the tube’s gain up or down (external gain adjustment). An MX-10160 tube has no pigtail and runs at a fixed maximum gain, with automatic brightness control.
- An MX-10160 tube will work in a housing with a gain knob, but the knob has no effect (secondary source).
- An MX-11769 tube can be made to behave like an MX-10160 by removing or bypassing the pigtail. On current L3Harris tubes the pigtail plugs in; on Elbit and Photonis tubes it is soldered and needs a resistor (secondary source). Such a conversion normally voids the tube warranty and should be done only by a qualified technician.
Autogating
An autogated power supply switches the tube’s photocathode voltage on and off very quickly and varies the on-time with the light level. This lets the tube cope with bright light sources and changing light with less blooming and less risk of damage. Autogating appeared in the late 1990s and early 2000s: L3Harris links it to its unfilmed tube line (development from 1998), Photonis introduced XR-5 tubes with auto-gating in 2002, and ITT delivered Pinnacle tubes with a gated power supply from 2003. Most current military-grade tubes are autogated. Details by year are on the production years page.
Filmed vs unfilmed (filmless) tubes
A classic Gen III tube has a gallium arsenide (GaAs) photocathode and a thin metal-oxide film, the ion barrier, on the microchannel plate. The film protects the photocathode and extends life.
An unfilmed (filmless) tube leaves out the ion barrier. L3Harris (the former Litton line) began developing unfilmed tubes in 1998, and Litton introduced the filmless tube for the Omnibus V contract (secondary source). L3Harris continues to make both filmed and unfilmed tubes. The ITT line (today Elbit America) uses filmed tubes; the description of ITT Pinnacle tubes as thin-filmed comes from dealer literature, not from ITT releases we found.
Filmed and unfilmed tubes of the same MX type are mechanically interchangeable. The difference is in performance and behaviour, not in fit.
Phosphor: P43 green and P45 white
The phosphor screen at the back of the tube turns electrons back into visible light. P43 gives the traditional green image; P45 gives a black-and-white image, usually called white phosphor. Photonis states it was the first company to develop and sell white phosphor tubes. L3Harris and Elbit America offer both colours.
Phosphor colour does not change the format: a white phosphor MX-11769 fits the same housings as a green one. In US service white phosphor has become the norm in newer programmes; for example, US Army tube buys for the AN/PVS-14 from 2025 are for white phosphor tubes.
Compatibility table
The table lists common housing families and the tube formats they take. Clones and commercial housings usually follow the military original, but always check the housing maker’s specification.
| Housing family | Takes | Does not take / notes | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| AN/PVS-7 (A/B/D) and clones | MX-10130 (non-inverting) | Not MX-10160 or MX-11769. PVS-7A and PVS-7B needed different MX-10130 variants (A vs B). | Confirmed; exclusions secondary |
| AN/PVS-14 monocular and clones | MX-11769 (designed for it) | MX-10160 fits, but the gain knob has no effect. | Confirmed; MX-10160 fit secondary |
| AN/PVS-31A BNVD (L3Harris) | MX-11769 | – | Confirmed |
| ENVG-B | MX-11769 | – | Confirmed |
| ANVIS aviation goggles AN/AVS-6, AN/AVS-9 | MX-10160 | – | Confirmed |
| AN/PVS-23 | MX-10160 | – | Confirmed |
| GPNVG (L3Harris panoramic) | Four 18 mm MX-10160-style tubes | Not 16 mm tubes, contrary to some claims. | Confirmed (L3Harris spec sheet) |
| Commercial dual-tube binoculars without gain control | MX-10160; MX-11769 with pigtail removed or converted | Check the housing maker’s tube list. | Secondary source |
| Commercial binoculars with gain control | MX-11769; MX-10160 (gain knob inactive) | Check the housing maker’s tube list. | Secondary source |
| AN/PVS-15 | 18 mm Gen III tube assemblies | MX type not confirmed in the sources we checked. | Not confirmed |
| AN/PVS-4, AN/TVS-5 weapon sights | 25 mm tubes, e.g. MX-11620 (Gen III upgrade) | Not 18 mm tubes. | Confirmed |
| AN/PVS-5 | 18 mm MX-9916 (Gen II) | – | Secondary source |
| 16 mm housings (e.g. Elbit XACT nv32 Micro) | 16 mm tubes only | Not 18 mm tubes. | Secondary source / inference |
How to check what your housing needs
- Identify the housing. Find the exact model or military nomenclature (for example AN/PVS-14, AN/PVS-7D, AN/AVS-9) and whether it is an original, a clone or a commercial design.
- Check the tube size. 16 mm, 18 mm and 25 mm tubes are not interchangeable. The housing manual or maker will state it.
- Check the image orientation. PVS-7-type devices need a non-inverting MX-10130. Most other current housings need an inverting tube.
- Check for a gain knob. If the housing has manual gain and you want to use it, you need an MX-11769 with its pigtail. Without a gain knob, use an MX-10160 or a correctly converted MX-11769.
- Check the package. 18 mm tubes come in different package sizes and weights (for example Photonis FAT ANVIS and SMALL ANVIS), and MX-10130 variants differ in contacts and dimensions. Make sure the housing takes that package.
- Ask for the factory data sheet. It should list the maker, the tube type and the serial number. Compare the serial with the one on the tube.
- Ask before you fit. If anything is unclear, ask the housing maker or a qualified technician. Do not force a tube into a housing.
Image intensifier tubes and complete devices are often subject to export controls. Rules depend on the country of origin and on where you live, so check what applies to you before buying or shipping.
Sources
- L3Harris – Gen III image intensification tubes
- L3Harris – Guide to Gen III image intensifier tube technology (PDF)
- L3Harris – GPNVG spec sheet (PDF)
- L3Harris – AN/PVS-31A BNVD datasheet (PDF)
- Elbit America – MX-10160 image intensifier tubes
- Elbit America – MX-11769 image intensifier tubes
- Exosens – 16 mm image intensifier tube
- Exosens – Photonis night vision one-pager (PDF)
- Photonis – 16 mm 4G tube for Dutch MoD, press release (PDF)
- Photonis – 25 mm image intensifier, SPIE Photonics West 2024 (PDF)
- Military & Aerospace Electronics – DLA image intensifier tube awards (2022)
- ASDNews – Elbit America white phosphor tubes for US Army (2025)
- Photonics.com – Army takes early delivery of Litton equipment
- US patent 5,077,611 (MX-10130 variants)
- FAS – AN/PVS-7 night vision goggle
- NSN 5855-01-423-1497 (MX-10160A/AVS-6)
- EverySpec – FSC 5855 specifications (MIL-PRF-49052G)
- DTIC – ADA430650 (PDF)
- NV-International wiki – MX-9916 (community source)
- NV-International wiki – NNVT (community source)
- Wikipedia – Image intensifier
- Wikipedia – AN/PVS-14
Last checked: 9 November 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us in the forum.