A relatively new optic from NPZ in Russia is the 1PN100/114 which is considered a Gen 3 tube design. These appear to be an early 2000s design and easily the newest complete design that I have seen yet. It is by far the clearest and brightest Russian / Soviet NV optic I have handled and is roughly comparable to US Gen 3 versions as well (though it seems like the electronics on this non-military PN6K-5 are downgraded for civilians).
 
My general observation with Soviet military grade night vision is that it is much superior to the same generation of civilian night vision scopes, and their older Gen 2 systems like 1PN51 are still much better than many civilian Gen 2 options we have here. PN6K-5 is definitely a leap forward from 1PN51 but not as dramatic as US made Gen 3 PVS14s for example, which reinforces that this is a civilian optic. I suspect if it were true military grade the quality would be even more noticeable than it is now. Nonetheless it is remarkably clear and probably the most effective Russian night vision optic I have seen to date.
 

1PN100 is intended for the AK74 series and 1PN114 for the SVD rifle. The civilian version shown here appears to be based on the 1PN114 because it will not fit the AK pattern rifle. It will only fit the SVD based on my testing.

This optic was manufactured in 2006 which makes it 20+ years newer than anything we normally get in the US. This one is definitely not a military version. There are no ballistic cams for calibers, and the reticule is the generic civilian chevron as well.

PN6K-5 has no trouble with background light sources like headlights, streetlights or building lights. It does have an auto-gate cutoff feature but is resilient when hit by bright lights and does not automatically shutdown like older Soviet optics do when ambient brightness increases suddenly. It has considerably more tolerance than anything Russian I have seen yet. Also there are no streaks or artifacts when exposed to bright light, and there is no fisheye effect either.

If you are used to cold war relics the PN6K-5 is amazingly modern and quite refreshing. Still a bit on the hefty side at 63 ounces but again this is a trade off due to the dual mode nature of the optic. Performance is better for the same weight than older optics and the additional daylight capabilities put 1PN114 way out in front of older generations.

Shown here on the Izhmash Tiger and with the UW Gear custom SVD rig in SURPAT, which holds 10 mags. There is an SRVV single mag molle pouch in the middle to bring the total up to 11 mags, which would be 10 in pouches and one in the rifle

PN6K-5 has a unique feature: The Day/Night lever will actually allow the shooter to use the optic normally in the day time as though the scope was a regular day light optic. By switching down to Day and removing the lens cover the rifle is fully operational as a typical rifle scope. When night vision is required the lever is flipped back up to Night

Also shown is the windage adjustment

ДЕНЬ= Day
НОЧЬ= Night

Daylight channel: PN6K-5 has the very common amber coating to reduce eye fatigue. Magnification remains the same as night mode. View in daylight at 100 yards

With daylight lens cap on, night vision activated, at 100 yards against the same point of aim

No more clunky cold war dry cell batteries that never seem to hold a charge, or weird battery compartment conversions. Modern Russian night vision runs on tried and true AA batteries

The classic NPZ mounting mechanism hasn't changed much in 30+ years


Elevation is adjusted by a screw driver, spent case or included sight tool. You can see windage below on the side of the optic

Objective lens for daylight mode or night firing in NV mode

Removable daylight filter. The optic can be zeroed during the day with the cover on

ВКЛ = ON
ВЬlКЛ = OFF
Reticule brightness for night mode is under the ocular lense

Night vision testing

It should be noted here that taking photos is very difficult and I had a tricky time with it. What worked best was actually my cell phone but it was not able to focus well on the targets themselves even though it got the overall picture. Also note there are no blemishes or marks, or smudges on the actual PN6K-5. All distortions, fuzziness, flare or shadows are completely due to the complexity of using the camera to get the shot. Through the lens of the PN6K-5 the view is quite good and very bright.

Urban lighting was non existent, there were clear skies and about a half moon. Way too dark to see anything with the naked eye, except the vehicle headlights

The tree line here is about 1 mile / 1700m away. This photo is to give an idea of the distance you can see with PN6K-5, though you could not pick out a human sized target until approximately 400m (Closer or further depending lighting conditions of course)

The tree line is again approximately 1 mile / 1700 meters. The farm equipment in the center of the view was approximately 800m away. The lighter colored field closer in was 200-700m wide and the darkest part of the ground at the bottom was 100-200m out. I am reasonably sure you could spot a human sized target somewhere in the 200-500m distance

Urban night time with no lens cover. The glare from the streetlight is not actually visible in the scope, it is an artifact from the camera. Distance to the vehicle is about 200 yards

Daylight view looking towards the stand at 300 yards (right edge of photo). The stand is about 2/3 the height of an average person which should give an idea of how large a standing figure would appear at 300 yards

Daylight view at 100 yards. The target stand is about 5 foot 6 or so

NPZ lists the 1PN100 as being compatible with the AK but unless they raised the mount or reduced the size of the objective I don't see how it will clear the AK rear sight leaf