Two months ago, an Israeli company finished developing tactical goggles that provide exceptional protection for the eyes of infantry fighters in accordance with American military standards. Hundreds of such goggles have already arrived at the IDF's elite units. "We have put aside all orders from abroad and are working around the clock to meet the demand of IDF fighters," says Yaki Darwish, the company's CEO.
The fighting in the south has emptied the warehouses of all importers of tactical equipment. Thousands of soldiers, parents of soldiers, and non-profit organizations have raised money and bought ceramic vests and helmets, and the US Air Force continues to deliver tens of thousands more personal protective equipment items for the benefit of IDF fighters and security and rescue forces.
"16% of combat injuries to soldiers are to the eyes, and 66% of soldiers did not use protective goggles at all during the attack. This is a statistic that must change!" says Omri Pedatzur, a mechanical engineer with nearly 30 years of experience and the father of a soldier in the IDF's counter-terrorism unit.
"A year ago, when I realized that my son was enlisting in an elite unit, I approached Yaki Darwish and suggested that he develop ballistic tactical goggles for fighters. Yaki, the owner of the 'Extreme' company from Ramat Hasharon, had gained decades of experience in developing sunglasses for athletes, but he did not have an in-depth knowledge of the field of tactical goggles.
"We entered this journey with a lot of curiosity," says Yaki. "We tested all the existing products in the world, we read the American military standard for ballistic protective eyewear (MIL-PRF 32432A) over and over again, and we quickly realized that we needed and could develop something better for IDF soldiers."
So what is the difference between regular goggles and ballistic goggles for fighters?
"Regular goggles, the kind you buy at any thrift store, are suitable for carpenters, who get sawdust flying at them. The battlefield includes charges, grenades and steel fragments flying at enormous speed. Ballistic goggles for fighters are required to meet the American military standard for a very wide range of energetic fragments, including shooting from a hunting rifle at a distance of 5 meters," says Yaki. "For this purpose, we chose a frame made of elastic and shatter-resistant NyloNext material, to which we added shatter-resistant lenses 2.4 mm thick with a special coating against fog and scratches. The glasses passed laboratory tests abroad with great success."
About two months ago, regardless of the fighting in the south, the first shipment of the glasses arrived and several samples were given to soldiers of an elite unit so that they could test them in daily use in the field. "The feedback we received from the soldiers was amazing!" says Omri. "The soldiers reported that the glasses are very comfortable even after long hours with a helmet, light, stable on the face, do not fog up and the vision is simply perfect!"
"The direct interface between the fighters and the development teams was our secret spice. We managed to develop 'Iron Dome' for the fighters' eyes," says Omri.
Yaki adds, "We also thought about the comfort of the fighter and added a rubber nosepiece and adjustable arms, in order to adjust the glasses to the fighter's face and provide maximum comfort, because if the glasses are uncomfortable and cumbersome, like dust goggles, fighters simply won't use them and will leave them in their bag."
Hundreds of the protective goggles that arrived in the first shipment have already been snapped up by the Counter-Terrorism Unit and other elite units. "We are working around the clock to meet the demand from non-profit organizations, reservists and parents of soldiers," says Yaki. "Manufacturing and quality assurance processes that normally take months are now completed in two weeks, because everyone understands the urgency. We have a large number of orders for ballistic goggles from police forces abroad, but we have put them all aside and are now concentrating solely on IDF soldiers."
What is the vision?
"We only have two eyes and they don't grow back, so protecting our eyes is critical. Any small fragment in the eye could result in blindness, which is a serious injury that cannot be repaired. The US Army has managed to reduce the percentage of eye injuries to only 0.5%, and there is no reason why we can't reach this result," says Omri. "Today, everyone understands the importance of ceramic bulletproof vests, and the vision is that they will also understand the importance of ballistic goggles. The Army provides goggles to some of its fighters, and we would like to see everyone with such high-quality goggles.
