Oh gosh, in my mind there is absolutely no questioning it's improvement. I've had an original A2, and A2 LED, and now I have 4 of the 2017 Aviators and all of them work flawlessly. Yes maybe the low mode has a VERY subtle flicker, but think about it practically. The only time you ever see that is if you're staring at it on a white wall. When you're in the cockpit, if you're trying to see flicker in your flashlight, you probably shouldn't be behind the yoke of a plane at that moment. The newest Aviator has vast improvements over the old in my opinion. Starting with size, it fits a lot better into a flight suit or flight bag. Only needs one battery and has MUCH better runtimes than the original, The durability is a huge leap because there's no bulb to break. The output is much, much better. Comparing it to my P2X Fury, the distance visually looks the same. The P2x just has more spread. But the Aviator holds it's own very well. I would rely on this thing for any circumstance which is why I've gotten 4 of them. In my humble opinion, it's the best flashlight I have ever used hands down.