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Meanwhile, Wixom, MI-based Trijicon Inc. has come up with a tactical weapon sight that eliminates any power consumption issues permanently?the sight doesn?t need batteries. The TA31F 4x32 dual-illuminated Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG) incorporates dual-illumination technology using a combination of fiber optics and self-luminous tritium, according to a company brochure. This allows the aiming point to be always illuminated without the use of batteries. The tritium illuminates the aiming point in total darkness, and the fiber optic self-adjusts reticle brightness during daylight according to ambient light conditions.

?The Army has about 10,000 of the TA31F?s fielded, and the Marine Corps has purchased over 16, 000,? said Curt Monnig, sales and training representative with Trijicon?s Military and Federal Law Enforcement Division.

?Plus we just signed a big contract with the Marine Corps for the TA31-Rifle Combat Optic (RCO). The plan is for everyone in the Marine Corps to have an RCO.?

The major advantage of the TA-31RCO sight is that they use a four-power optic. ?It?s the first time, other than on sniper rifles, where a magnified optic will be used by the Marines as the primary sight,? said Monnig.

This makes for quicker and more accurate target identification. And if you miss the target, when environmental conditions permit, you can see the bullet impact, so you can adjust your sights. ?You could never do that with an iron sights,? said Monnig.

The TA-31RCO also has a bullet drop compensated reticle. ?The reticle is calibrated from 0 to 800 meters,? said Monnig. ?Once it?s properly zeroed no further adjustments are necessary. When shooting at longer distances the bullet drop compensated stada lines are used from 400 to 800 meters.
As previously mentioned, weight is a crucial concern with battlefield equipment. ?The scope with mount is 15.1 ounces, so it?s extremely light,? said Monnig.

And the scope is extremely rugged. It consists of forged 7075 T-6 aircraft aluminum alloy housing that is precision-machined to exacting tolerances and hard-anodized to match the upper and lower receiver of the M16 rifle, according to company literature.

There is speculation in some military publications that the next step in the evolution of sights/scopes will be a fire control system with all the data being visualized on a helmet-mounted display rather than in a more conventional sight. This would allow the soldier to simply look at the target and fire when the red dot or other mark in his helmet visor is superimposed to it.

Meanwhile, our soldiers and Marines have a wide variety of innovative tactical weapon sights that really do allow them to ?own the night.?

The scout sniper day scope will be approximately the same weight as the Unertl scope it?s replacing. ?Weight is crucial for a small team that already has to carry all the gear they need to survive for days on end,? said Boothby. ?We would not allow more weight in this scope than we already were used to with a scope we had carried for 20 years,? said Boothby.

Another important factor used in evaluating scopes is eye relief. ?The distance from the shooter?s eye to the ocular lens which provides optimal viewing is called proper eye relief,? said Boothby. Eye relief should be at least two inches and preferably three inches according to Boothby. ?The proper eye position allows an entire field of view within the scope, so the sniper can see clearly from edge to edge,? explained Boothby.

During the course of the last year as Boothby was heading the search for a replacement for the Unertl sniper telescope, he contacted over 20 optical companies worldwide. ?At the end of the day and after all the testing, I?m confident that we found one of the world?s best combat riflescope,? said Boothby.


Reducing Vulnerability
MTC Technologies has also developed an optical system that works in conjunction with existing sight systems that ultimately could increase a soldier?s lethality while reducing their vulnerability. The ParaScope is matched to many of the current gun optics in the field today and allows the shooter to use that sight system while remaining behind cover and only exposing the shooter?s arms, hands and weapon. The unique pivoting optics allows a weapon to be aimed around corners, into rooms and windows from a variety of side positions keeping the shooter?s exposed profile to a minimum.

The ParaScope was originally a collaboration between DARPA and the Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC), Fort Monmouth, NJ, and was focused in an attempt to reduce power in a weapon sight. ?The original requirement was to take a technical approach and look at optic systems that use electrical power and energy and try to reduce the power demands,? said John Longhouser, president of MTC Technologies.

In mid-2003, MTC Technologies looked at meeting the requirement without any additional demand for energy and in turn looked to an optical solution rather than computerized or processing solutions. ?As we explored the different technologies we tried to look at power management techniques but the use of simple optical systems was the solution of choice,? said Longhouser.

The ParaScope is MTC?s solution and, according to the company, offers three advantages over other devices. The first is that the image seen through the ParaScope is optically correct, meaning that if you were shooting down the parallel axis, the accuracy of the sight picture is the same as when viewed directly. The second is that it allows you to keep the sight mounted on the weapon and either aim from the side or from the rear in a traditional manner. The third is that the sight itself, by nature of its design, can mount on virtually any individual weapon from small, medium or heavy with a Model 1913 Picatinny rail.

?We have focused on getting the ParaScope into the hands of soldiers and Marines to make sure it meets their needs,? said Longhouser. ?We have had live fire tests at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Quantico and at 29 Palms. We have also had at least one of the sights deployed to Iraq at three different times. As far as we are concerned the ParaScope is ready for production. The next step is to continue to collaborate with potential customers. We are excited about the interest shown to date. We are not necessarily interested in ParaScope production but we are interesting in collaborating with a partner, licensing the rights and allowing them to go into production.?

Shot on Target U.S warfighters have a wide variety of innovative tactical weapon sights that give them a tactical advantage. Whether at long range or in danger close combat, being able to put a round on target is what it is all about. Of two sides, the one that puts more rounds on target the fastest usually wins.