AEP-4296 eye protection for the individual soldier

What it is

What AEP-4296 governs

AEP-4296 is the NATO Allied Engineering Publication that sets minimum performance requirements, evaluation criteria and test methods for procuring eye protection for the individual soldier. Its own aim is "to provide guidance for the procurement of eye protection (e.g. spectacles, goggles, visors) intended to protect military users from injuries caused by hand gun munition, (small) fragments or spall and when necessary, environmental factors e.g. sand, dust, glare and sunlight." It covers spectacles, goggles and visors, plus a universal carrier for prescription lenses, and is meant to let "NATO nations to specify common performance levels for eye protection" so that procured systems reach "a NATO agreed minimum level of performance" and stay interoperable across nations. STANAG 4296 is the agreement that covers it, and the NSDD lists AEP-4296 as covered by that agreement: it is the STANAG that a nation implements, and the AEP that supplies the technical content behind it.

Laser eye protection, protection against nuclear flash, nuclear radiation, UV(C), X-rays or low-temperature infrared, and protection against gases or fine dust are explicitly outside its scope; laser protection is referred instead to STANAG 4495 and AEP-4495. The roles of explosive ordnance disposal and demining, aviation, CBRN, engineering and public order control are also excluded, as are face shields.

Protection, usability and durability

Coverage area follows EN 166 or ANSI/ISEA Z87.1, and a vented goggle must exclude "spherical objects 1.5 mm in diameter or greater." Ballistic protection applies to visor lenses: "The Vproof on the lens of a visor shall be at least 365 ± 10 m.s-1" against a 9 mm FMJ round, using a total of at least 22 fair shots on a helmet-mounted head form (clause 3.3). Fragment protection has three tiers, defined against F3/F5 or R3/R5 fragment-simulating projectiles from AEP-2920: low and medium energy both require a Vproof of at least 177 m/s, and the high energy tier, typically offered only by visors, requires at least 500 m/s (clause 3.4). Blunt impact, general impact, resistance to ignition, sunlight and glare filtering (against EN 172 classes), dust and droplet protection for goggles, and blast resistance each carry their own clause and test method in Chapter 3.

Usability requirements fix field of view at "≥ 85°" temporal, "≥ 45o" superior and "≥ 55o" inferior and nasal (clause 4.2), measured by the method in AEP-73; weight at 45 grams for low-energy-fragment spectacles and 150 grams for the equivalent goggle (clause 4.3); sizing to fit at least 95% of the specified user group (clause 4.4); and fogging resistance of "a minimum of 8 s" (clause 4.9.1). Lens exchange and donning/doffing must work without tools and without removing helmet or gloves (clauses 4.6, 4.8).

Optical quality and durability criteria, luminous transmittance, haze, refractive power, scratch and abrasion resistance, coating adhesion, corrosion, thermal stability, UV resistance and chemical resistance to lubricants, are set out in tables against EN 166/167/168 clauses in Chapters 6 and 7, each with an ANSI/ASTM alternative test method. Frames come in defined military colours (Black 357, Tan 499, Foliage Green 504, Coyote Brown, Dark Grey), preferably matte (clause 5.2), and detectability is checked with a Field User Trial minimum score of 3 (clause 5.1).

Eye correction and compatibility

A universal RX carrier for prescription lenses "must be available for use with prescription lenses in the range of ± 8 dioptres" (clause 8.2.a), must seat with a pantoscopic tilt of 15 degrees or less (a negative tilt is not acceptable), must be replaceable, and must not create gaps in fragment or ballistic protection (clause 8.2.b-d). Chapter 9 requires the eye protection to work alongside the combat helmet, issued weapons systems (achieving a sight picture "without any impediment"), night vision devices (a 25 mm eye-relief distance offered as a guideline, clause 9.4), and in-ear or on-ear communication and hearing protection, without affecting their seal.

Sustainment, marking and documentation

Materials in contact with the wearer must not cause skin irritation, and known human carcinogens are barred from manufacture or cleaning agents (clause 10.2). Lenses and visors carry an operational life of "at least 6 months" and frames "at least one year" (clause 12.1), both with a minimum storage life of three years, and the user must be able to replace lenses without tools (clause 12.2.a). Frame and lens marking, a waterproof instruction card, and technical documentation, design description, performance criteria, part numbers and NATO Stock Numbers, are required deliverables (clauses 13.1-13.2, 14.1-14.2), and a National Authority can add its own marking or material requirements in its tender documents.

Test facility and Field User Evaluation

The test facility must hold, and produce on request, calibration certification and proof of accreditation, and its test report must record how many samples were tested and how many failed against each requirement (Chapter 15). "In order to validate compliance of the eye protection to the requirements stated below the NA may set-up a Field User Evaluation" (clause 16.1.a): representative soldiers rate fit, comfort, fogging resistance and compatibility with helmet, weapons, night vision, communications and hearing protection during realistic tasks, including "highly dynamic movements (low crawling, jumping, running, etc.)".

Getting the document

AEP-4296 is published by NATO and listed free of charge in the NATO Standardization Document Database. NATO's documents are not sold by ComplyTrain and we host no copies of them.

Standards it references

• AEP-73Binds
• STANAG 2623Background
• AEP-2902Background
• AEP-2920Background
• STANAG 4370Background
• AEP-4495Background
• STANAG 4495Background
• AECTP-300Background