Certainly not the earliest uses ( and low how about light TV ? Martel was another thing I saw stashed away but not ever used again ) ...
Once when sailing my little 22' boat across Lyme Bay say 10 miles offshore in 1979/80, at night with no lights on - it was then a total loss battery system so nav' lights only used when any boats came close -we were most definitely ' intercepted by ' a Lynx - I knew the sound - hovering equally unlit very close ahead of us.
I did what was then the text-book sailor's answer to colregs / ID and shone a bright light on the mainsail for ID no. & up- I hope I didn't bother the chap with the early NVG's too much, didn't know what I know now !
The Sea Harrier FRS1 experimented with NVG's from early ( 1981 ? ) days, but I have no idea when it went into service.
I do know there was a competetion between A&AEE / St.Athan V. BAe for the Harrier 'Nightbird' project where G-VTOL's interior lighting was all adapted to suit; despite that, in an early precursor of QQ V. BAes, the other lot won.
The ARBS was quite capable of having IR fitted, but as I recall it was all of £65,000 per unit more than the lump on top of the nose as now.
I can see the advantage of not relying on one lens / system, however the IR ARBS might have been more versatile ?
I realise some modern systems make this a question of history.