Looking through the goggles for the first time is impressive. NVGs reveal fine detail in what is little more than shadows when peering beneath the intensification tubes. With the goggles, ...aircraft can be viewed distinctly between flashes.

F-16s at Aviano are the first F-16s in the active-duty Air Force to employ night vision goggles, or NVGs, operationally. And all of the F-16s of Aviano's 510th and 555th Fighter Squadrons will have cockpits and external lighting that are fully compatible with NVGs.

"The Guard has been using NVGs in its F-16 air defense units for several years," Stohler says. "But we are the first Guard unit to employ NVGs in both air-to-air and air-to-ground operations."