DARK 30 Defiance: Thermal For Your Ride

We are all familiar with the trickle-down phenomenon involving military technology eventually becoming available for civilian use. This has been going on since black powder muskets replaced pikes. This article will delve into this corollary in the form of the vehicle-mounted Dark 30 Defiance 640 PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) thermal imaging device.

The ability and advantage of night vision burst into public awareness during the first Gulf War, 1990-91. Released videos from air force bomb strikes, helicopters, and M1 Abrams gunners were a mix of thermal and night vision images. Subsequent involvements in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world prove that night vision revolutionized the modern battlefield and is a crucial advantage exploited by our armed forces over less well-equipped opponents. The ability for non-military personnel to negate darkness’s cloak is now available at a performance level hard to imagine even a decade ago.

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Effective night hunting requires specialized equipment. For a hunter, the ability to “see” at night helps increase the odds of success. Animals that function in the dark are used to having the sensory advantage over us. While spotlights have gotten the job done for years and traditional night vision is certainly worth exploring, thermal imaging scopes represent the way to go.

Time To Go Dark 30

As always, when paying a visit to Sellmark’s Kevin Reese (Uncle Kev) with involving a trip to the “Ranch” for some night hunting, surprises are to be had. Long days and nights are the norm. The goal is to gain hands-on experience with various products and make the most of the central Texas experience packed into a few days. While Sightmark and Pulsar thermal devices are expected, when I saw him strapping on a device to the top of our UTV that looked like a FLIR on an Apache helicopter gunship, I immediately perked up.

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The Dark 30 Defiance 640 takes what you may already know in terms of handheld or weapons-mounted thermal devices and expands to an entirely different realm. Minus the throbbing rotor blades, here we were driving down a trail in total darkness while staring at a screen providing a view of the world outside our buggy via direct thermal camera-to-screen interface. This provides near-real-time imaging feedback with a 1920×1200 resolution 10.1-inch LCD screen delivering detailed images.

Hitting The Spot

Once arriving at our desired location, usually a prominent ridge with a commanding view, we would stop and shut off the UTV. We would use the Dark 30 to scan the surrounding area. 360-degree panning, tilt features, and 1-8x digital zoom are all controlled by a handheld remote. Nothing could escape detection for over 1200 yards away. We could easily see the differences between cattle, deer, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, armadillos, and, most importantly, hogs. Once an individual hog or a group (called a sounder) was spotted, planning commenced on how best to engage.

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The Dark 30 Defiance mounted on a UTV immediately turns it into your mobile observation post when parked on the edge of a field in the pitch dark. Controlling the Dark 30 can also be done via a phone app. Imagine sitting away from your UTV in a stand, still receiving images from the Dark 30 while also having your weapon-mounted thermal available as well. Mind blowing!

Dark 30 Magic

The technical aspects of the Dark 30 Defiance 640 must be discussed to ensure full appreciation. Thermal devices are not optics per se. The best way to think of thermals, such as the Dark 30, is as a digital camera feeding off infrared/heat waves with a signal processor creating images for our recognition. The Dark 30 Defiance has a sensor resolution of 640×480 pixels, which is currently the leading edge for civilian thermal devices.

It has a sensor pitch of 17 microns, which allows for sharper images versus the higher pitch models found on the market. 17-micron capability allows for increased digital zoom potential as well. The Dark 30 also has a frame rate of 60 Hz, meaning the thermal core refreshes the image you see 60 times a second.

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The NETD is <30mK (the lower the better). NETD stands for Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference. This is a measurement of thermal sensitivity in being able to determine an object from surrounding objects based on heat signature. All of this is crucial for successful tracking/engagement/observation of moving targets. Don’t forget that a thermal is still useful during the day, unlike traditional night vision devices. With a NEDT (Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference) of less than 30mK, the Dark 30 has a temperature differentiation measured in the tenths of degrees! The more refined the temperature differentiation is, the more detailed the provided image can be, even when the sun is out.

Thermal Palette

The Dark 30 has five thermal color palette modes—traditional black-hot and white-hot, along with green, rainbow, and magenta hot for added background contrast and more precise heat detection. Mounting the Dark 30 is simple and does not require an electrical engineer or a master mechanic. The Dark 30 offers versatile roof mounting options—magnet, suction cup, or direct screws—ensuring compatibility with any vehicle, with all hardware included. Roof mounting is important for increased elevation, offering a better vantage point for scanning as well as staying away from looking through glass or similar windshield materials, which wreak havoc on thermals. The unit can be hard-wired or operated via a 12V accessory socket, i.e., cigarette lighter, for those readers showing a little grey. The Dark 30 can be left mounted and operated in adverse conditions thanks to an IP66 water rating.

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The Dark 30 features a constant scan mode revolving 360 degrees without requiring the user to stay on the remote. I found the directional indicator especially important. Remember, you are sitting in pitch black conditions with your window to the world being a 15–25-degree field of view in your thermal. You have no spatial input, especially if magnification is cranked up. PIP (Picture-in-Picture) magnification allows for detailed study of anything discovered, while maintaining an overall view. Dark 30 can record with sound what you are seeing for reviewing back at camp or sharing with others.

Field Time With Dark 30

I have been fortunate to visit the Sellmark Ranch multiple times, the last the first with the Dark 30 advantage. With a thermal setup centered around the Dark 30 Defiance, you look forward to the sun disappearing. A whole new world opens up.

After confirming zeros with our AR 6.8SPC rifles fitted with Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF XG60 thermal optics, we waited for darkness. Uncle Kev piloted the UTV, showing off by operating in total darkness only using the Dark 30 for navigation. We went around to different fields and field plots, spotting cattle (it is a working ranch after all), deer, raccoons, and armadillos making their way out into the fields for a bite to eat.

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We did spot several groups of hogs, with Kevin continuing to drive by so as not to spook them by stopping the machine. After getting around the corner, we then made our way back on foot, allowing the Pulsar Thermion 2 to do its job.

Another evening, we sat out in the middle of a large field, remember it is Texas, so we are talking about a field measured in hundreds of acres. Sure enough, the Dark 30 spotted a sounder of hogs making their way out of a swampy wood line into the field. After getting our bearings, we quietly made our way within about a hundred yards and again let the AR with Pulsar Thermion 2 close the deal.

Beware that night hunting can become very appealing, with your day and night sleeping patterns impacted. Long weekends of exploring the night can certainly affect your Monday morning day job.

Shedding Some Light

Two Dark 30 Defiance models are currently offered. The Defiance 640 detailed above and the Defiance 384. The designations are based on the thermal sensors used, with pricing commensurate with that. The Defiance 640 retails at $6,499 and the Defiance 384 at $3,499.

All the uses for the Dark 30 are still yet to be explored. With that said, you can expect more than just hunting. A range of practical applications comes immediately to mind: wildlife monitoring, livestock operations, law enforcement, border patrol, construction inspections, Search & Rescue, and so on. For example, the Dark 30 Defiance thermal eases search efforts in large fields, parks, near roadways, and wooded areas where mobility combined with constant scanning is a premium. We could keep going here, but you get the point. People will find uses for the Dark 30 Defiance that its developers never even considered.