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Cooper Wins Top Tactical at Bushnell Southeast Regional Finale with Elite Tactical XRS II

Wednesday, November 11th, 2020

Elite Tactical XRS II Riflescope Helps Cooper Claim Tactical Division for PRS Season

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – November 5, 2020 – Bushnell®, an industry leader in performance optics, served as title sponsor of the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) Southeast Regional Finale hosted by Alabama Precision. At the conclusion of the two-day match, Team Bushnell’s Mark Cooper and his Elite Tactical XRS II 4.5-30×50 riflescope once again stood victorious, winning the Tactical Division for the match and claiming the coveted Tactical Division championship for the entire season.

“It’s been a long but wonderful season and I know that I wouldn’t be here without the support of my family, friends and sponsors,” said Mark Cooper of Team Bushnell. “No one could have predicted the weather for the finale to be as bad as it was, but despite the cold and the rain it feels good to have accomplished a season long goal. Through it all, my Elite Tactical XRS II never failed me. The trust I have in this riflescope is unmatched and I don’t plan to shoot another match without it.”

The Bushnell Southeast Regional Finale took place under less than ideal conditions with a diverse course of fire challenging competitors and their gear. Throughout the match, competitors took on a multitude of barricades, moving targets and distances ranging out to 1,200 yards with the rain ending just as the last shots were fired.

“Alabama Precision was honored to host this year’s PRS Regional Finale sponsored by Bushnell,” said Jim Saunders, Match Director. “As the largest region, the southeast has some of the best competitors in the country. They were put through a true test with a challenging course of fire and equally challenging weather. Bushnell has supported the PRS for many years and has even bigger plans for the future with Elite Tactical. Thanks to Bushnell and the shooting community for a great Regional Finale.”

Be sure to follow Bushnell social media pages on Instagram at www.instagram.com/bushnell_official and Facebook at www.facebook.com/bushnell for event updates.

For more information on Bushnell Elite Tactical, visit www.bushnell.com.

Army Conducts Major Milestone Tests in Development of Integrated Visual Augmentation System

Monday, November 9th, 2020

FORT BENNING, Ga. – The Army-led team of developers creating the Integrated Visual Augmentation System is wrapping up the third major milestone testing and demonstration event this week at Fort Pickett, Va., where Soldiers and Marines have been putting the system, known as IVAS, through a number of field exercises since Oct. 18.

IVAS is designed to enhance the lethality and survivability of the Army’s Close Combat Force through a combination of technologies and augmented reality capabilities delivered in the form of a Heads-Up Display device, much like the famed HoloLens developed by Microsoft, which is, in fact, partnering with the Army to develop and produce the system.

IVAS is one of the Army Future Command’s 31 original signature modernization efforts, headed by the Soldier Lethality Cross Functional Team (SL CFT) at Fort Benning, Ga., under the leadership of Brig. Gen. David Hodne, who also serves as the Chief of Infantry. It’s a single platform that allows the Soldier to fight, rehearse, and train, because it leverages networked information sharing and mixed and augmented reality technologies. IVAS is one of the SL CFT’s efforts to help resolve an erosion in combat superiority between

U.S. and near peer competitors around the world as identified in the 2018 National Defense Strategy.

Whereas U.S. forces once “owned the night” in respect to combat overmatch in conditions of limited visibility, Hodne said, two decades of consistent and concentrated conflict across the Middle East has resulted in a parity among the world’s most capable combatants.

“Overmatch has always been defined in terms of two things; our lethality and our protection must exceed the lethality and protection of our adversaries,” Hodne said Oct. 30, as he addressed a group of Army senior leaders and Congressional representatives who attended the IVAS demonstration at Pickett. “In order to restore overmatch, we must restore lethality, and lethality means we can see, designate and move quickly through hours of limited visibility.

“In an environment where we share the night, the folks who can move faster, decide faster and think faster are the ones who have the advantage on today and tomorrow’s battlefield,” he said, citing the IVAS next generation situational awareness tools, high resolution operational and training simulations capabilities the Soldiers are testing at Pickett.

The event is the third in a series of four comprehensive large-scale tests, formally known as Soldier Touch Points, or STPs, scheduled at pivotal junctures in the 28-month program to bring together stakeholders from across the Army’s modernization enterprise with industry partners to assess technologies added or upgraded since the previous STP and test the latest system prototype in the field. This time around, participants from the 82nd Airborne Division and a contingent of Marines conducted company-size training events using the first militarized prototype of the IVAS. Events included land navigation, live fire, mission planning, rapid target acquisition, trench clearing, after action review using augmented reality, and more.

By the end of this event, Team IVAS, which includes the CFT, PEO Soldier, Microsoft, Combat Capabilities Development Command, and a number of labs and directorates within the modernization enterprise, will have collected more than 40,000 hours of Soldier data, said Brig. Gen. Tony Potts, the director of PEO Soldier.

The team employs a Soldier Centered Design methodology that involves Soldiers at every step of the process, from design to development, thereby reducing the traditional 10-year acquisitions timeline to roughly 28 months and eliminating the historical probability of fielding a system Soldiers reject. Soldier Centered Design means IVAS is designed and built by the Soldiers who give the constructive, candid feedback developers use to turn over new prototypes and upgrade systems constantly.

“If we want to develop systems at the speed of relevance, and systems that our Soldier want to use, this is the way we have to do it,” Potts said. “We have learned so much through Soldier Centered Design. Our real desire is to let Soldiers design it, and then our engineers build what they design. It’s about listening to our Soldiers.”

The STP was Staff Sgt Kaleb Kester’s first experience with IVAS and with the concept of Soldier Centered Design. After 12 years in the Army, the combat veteran said he sees “incredible potential” for the system and had no trouble learning to use it. “If you can use a smart phone, you can use IVAS,” he said, but there was one thing he didn’t understand.

“Why haven’t we always been doing it this way? I hate getting issued things I don’t even want or don’t need or can’t really use,” Kester said. “This is the way it should always be.”

The program, which remains on track to deliver the first IVAS in the fourth quarter of FY21, is funded through Other Transaction Authorities (OTA) and Middle Tier Acquisition Rapid Prototyping authorities to accelerate the development process by more than four years as compared to the DoD 5000 process.

Last month, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord hailed IVAS as an example of success, having launched the program under an interim policy she implemented to circumvent problems inherent to traditional military acquisitions methodologies aimed at layered governance and risk aversion. In September, Deputy Secretary Norquist signed a directive that completes a comprehensive redesign of the DoD 5000 series acquisitions policies.

“So using this (interim) policy, we have 74 programs today using the middle tier acquisition pathway, including (IVAS),” Lord said Oct. 7 during a Pentagon briefing. “As a result, IVAS intends to rapidly field the capability in fiscal year 21 after conducting dozens of hardware prototypes and thousands of software builds through continuous iterations with Soldiers … the MTA pathway incentivizes powerful behaviors across the acquisition enterprise to quickly restore the Army’s advantage in individual situational awareness, navigation, communications, and target acquisition.”

Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said virtually the same last week after participating in the IVAS STP 3 demonstration, where he donned the IVAS to see firsthand how the system pairs to the Family of Weapons Sight – Individual to give the warfighter the ability to acquire a target from behind the relative security of a corner or an obstacle using the aided target acquisition capability.

Twenty years ago, McConville said, such capabilities would have been considered futuristic, “something you see in a movie,” and the acquisition timeline would have impeded progress.

“Historically, our acquisition cycle has taken a long time, ten to fifteen years,” he said. “(IVAS) was just an idea two or three years ago, and we were able to bring it to fruition quickly to what we saw today working together with industry, with our operators, and also our Soldiers with touch points along the way using the authorities that Congress has given us to rapidly, bring this capability to our Soldiers in the field. It’s safe to say that the future is here – now – and this is no longer in the realm of science fiction.”

Lt. Nicholas Christopher was one of the Soldiers from the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment who put the system to the test in hinterlands of Fort Pickett’s operationally relevant environments. Christopher described the IVAS suite of capabilities just as the Chief of Staff.

“There are a lot of features on it that are futuristic, I guess you could say, including things like advanced battle tracking,” he said. “I can see where my entire platoon is projected on a map, and for me as a platoon leader, that’s amazing, because there’s a lot of guesswork that goes out the window. There’s a lot of verbal communication over radios that I don’t have to do anymore. It’s very solid I can see how this is going to make a great impact on the way we fight.”

By Bridgett Siter

SIG SAUER TANGO6T Riflescope Selected by U.S. Department of Defense for Direct View Optic (DVO)

Monday, November 9th, 2020

NEWINGTON, N.H., (November 9, 2020) – SIG SAUER, Inc. is proud to announce the TANGO6T has been selected by the U.S. Department of Defense for the Direct View Optic (DVO) in response to a solicitation to enhance squad performance with a variable powered riflescope.  Unlike older generation non-magnified or fixed-magnification optics, the TANGO6T is a 1-6X variable-magnification riflescope that enables the soldier to engage both close quarter targets and targets at extended ranges.

This award from the U.S. DoD is the third award for the SIG SAUER TANGO6T; previously selections for the TANGO6T include the Squad Designated Marksman Rifle (SDMR) and the USSOCOM Squad-Variable Powered Scope (S-VPS).  The TANGO6T riflescope is currently in use with the U.S. Army Squad Designated Marksman and U.S. Military Special Forces.      

“After rigorous and stringent testing, where the best of the industry competed, we are proud to confirm the SIG SAUER TANGO6T riflescope has been selected by the U.S. Army as the Direct View Optic,” began Ron Cohen, President and CEO, SIG SAUER, Inc.  “This is a three-peat for the TANGO6T as the riflescope continues to prove it will withstand the rigors of U.S. military testing making it the choice for use with our soldiers.  The further proliferation of the riflescope into the U.S. Military’s M4A1 operating system is an exciting achievement for SIG SAUER Electro-Optics and further proof that the TANGO6T is the direction of the future.”

The TANGO6T 1-6×24 DVO riflescope will be used on M4A1 carbines and is a first focal plane ruggedized riflescope with a Flat Dark Earth (FDE) anodized aircraft grade aluminum main tube.  The riflescope features the DWLR6 reticle capable of providing range estimation and wind holds at extreme distances, the advanced HELLFIRE illumination system for fast target acquisition, a locking illumination dial, Power Selector Ring (PSR) Throw Lever, the ALPHA4 ultralight mount, and a laser-marked scope level indicator for intuitive installation.

“The TANGO6T riflescope platform has been ruggedized and battle-hardened over the course of both the SDMR and S-VPS programs,” added Andy York, President, SIG SAUER Electro-Optics.  “We are proud to assemble the TANGO6T here in the USA to support our warfighters with a variable powered riflescope that was developed to match the engagement requirements of today’s battlefield.”

The SIG SAUER TANGO6T 1-6x24MM riflescope is available commercially at local retailers and at sigsauer.com, in first and second plane, and varying reticles including 5.56/7.62 Horseshoe Dot, HELLFIRE MOA Milling, HELLFIRE FL-6 and the new DWLR6.   

“This award solidifies the TANGO6T as the premier riflescope of the U.S. military as it continues to exceed the highest standards for ruggedization, range, and accuracy throughout testing protocols, and in the field with our soldiers.  We are honored to partner with the U.S. Department of Defense as they continue to modernize their weapons systems and look forward to the continued proliferation of the TANGO6T amongst our fighting forces,” concluded Cohen.

All SIG SAUER TANGO6 riflescopes are designed and assembled in the USA at the state-of-the-art, ISO-certified, SIG SAUER Electro-Optics facility in Wilsonville, Oregon.

L3Harris Technologies Receives First Delivery Order for the US Army’s Next Generation Rifle-Mounted Aiming Laser

Thursday, November 5th, 2020

Highlights:
• The first production delivery order for the STORM 2 contract
• The company will deliver more than 1,100 combat-ready systems to the U.S. Army
• STORM 2 enables a soldier to perform laser ranging and target hand-off operations in all battlefield conditions

LONDONDERRY, N.H., Nov. 5, 2020 — L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) has received the first order on its multi-million dollar contract from the U.S. Army for the Small Tactical Optical Rifle-Mounted Micro Laser Rangefinder 2 (STORM 2). L3Harris will deliver more than 1,100 combat-ready systems to the Army. This is the first production delivery order associated with the $215 million STORM 2 contract the company announced in 2019.

“STORM 2 represents a next-generation laser technology that enables the soldier to perform laser ranging and target hand-off operations in all battlefield conditions,” said Lynn Bollengier, President, Integrated Vision Solutions, L3Harris. “Our STORM portfolio has been a staple of the U.S. Army’s laser rangefinding capabilities for more than 15 years and we are proud to continue delivering combat-ready systems that provide a tactical edge for our soldiers.”

The company’s STORM 2 is the next advancement in rifle-mounted, multifunction laser systems that provide soldiers with heightened performance and enhanced visibility at extended range during field maneuvers, surveillance and engagement, while remaining undetected during dismounted and vehicle- mounted missions.

www.l3harris.com

Shield Sights Announces Next Generation RMS2

Wednesday, November 4th, 2020

For Immediate Release – Dorset, England, U.K. – Shield Sights, Pioneer of compact micro red dot optics is pleased to present the newest edition of Refex Mini Sight, the RMS2.

Building on the foundation of the original RMS, that was designed for competitive shooters, the RMS2 brings features that increase performance for the defensive carry, shooting enthusiasts, and competitors alike. The Shield RMS2 features a strengthened lens housing and updated electronics with improved battery contacts to further enhance reliability under all conditions. The same glass coated polymer lens continues to provide a good balance of being shatterproof while remaining more scratch resistant than an all polymer lens option. Customers have the option to upgrade to an all glass lens if maximum scratch resistance is required.  

The RMS2 has been designed without a battery draw to further strengthen the housing and remove any additional failure points in an EDC product. Shields superior footprint includes four location posts and two screws to ensure a consistent and secure interface to hold the sight in place. This system has been proven to be extremely repeatable when sights are removed to renew batteries and when combined with a long battery life has removed the need for the side access battery drawer.

“The explosive growth in the RDS market for concealed carry and general range use has presented new variables that we were eager to consider in the design of the RMS2,” said James White, CEO Shield Sights. “The advancements in technology and additional research in the field has given us the ability to design and deliver an overall better product for the majority of RDS shooters out there”

RMS2 Features:
– Shield footprint
– Glass coated polymer lens (can be upgrade to all Glass)
– Strengthened lens housing
– Updated electronics
– 4 MOA and 8 MOA dot options
– 1-3 year battery life

The RMS2 is currently available for sale through the Shield dealer network or on the Shield website: www.shieldpsd.com

MSRP: $430

First Look – US Army’s New Direct View Optic by SIG SAUER

Wednesday, November 4th, 2020

Just as Fiscal Year 2020 was closing out, the US Army awarded SIG SAUER an Other Transaction Agreements contract valued at $77,168,400.00 for the Direct View Optic program. SIG put up their TANGO6T which continues to rack up contract wins.

The Army envisioned DVO of being capable of variable power magnification with minimum magnification of 1.0x with no rounding and maximum magnification greater than or equal to 6.0 power.

Their rationale was that variable power magnification optics combine the capabilities of the non-magnified optic’s ability to engage close quarter targets with a fixed-magnification optic’s ability to detect, recognize, identify, and precisely engage targets at extended ranges. This allows the Soldier to have both critical capabilities without the limitations of either non magnified or fixed magnification optics.

The Army announced the program in June of 2019. It seemed to move rapidly at first, but then stalled as COVID-19 sidetracked many programs. The Army also used the time to consider prioritization of its Next Generation Squad Weapon program, intended to replace the 5.56mm M4A1 and M249 with new weapons firing a 6.8 x 51 mm round with increased range and penetration for use by close combat forces. These include Infantry, Cavalry Scouts, and Combat Engineers as well as those who provide them embedded support, such as Combat Medics. The Army has included its Special Operations Forces as well in the NGSW program.

Just when many expected the Army to cancel the program, they announced the contract award.


This is a TANGO6T mounted to the SIG SAUER SLSR in 6.8mm, their NGSW Rifle candidate, nicknamed the Spear.

The TANGO6T is a 1-6×24 riflescope featuring a Flat Dark Earth (FDE) anodized aircraft grade aluminum maintube, illuminated front focal plane reticle, an ultra-bright red horseshoe dot for fast daylight target acquisition, locking illumination dial, Power Selector Ring (PSR) Throw Lever, and a laser-marked scope level indicator for mount installation. All of the variants I have used so far have featured the red horseshoe dot.

The DVO version of the TANGO6T differs slightly from both the version already adopted by the Army for the Squad Designated Marksman Rifle and the version selected by US Special Operations Command for the Squad – Variable Power Scope program.

The SDMR optic procurement is complete and the S-VPS procurement is ongoing, with a new reticle, despite a lot of rumors to the contrary.

We’ll dispel another rumor as well. These are assembled in the US. No, the optical prescription doesn’t come from the US, no one’s does, at least not for any optic you’d want to use. But everything else is made here, and the whole thing is assembled here as well.


An initial version of the USSOCOM S-VPS.

There will be a new reticle for DVO. From what I understand it will be a BDC reticle for the M855A1 ammunition. It is also slightly shorter in length than the other versions. I’d expect a few other changes as well before it begins fielding, as this always happens. We’ll update you once we hear more.

The optic below was built for the DVO program. It’s the one mounted to the Spear above. The color variations in the photos are due to lighting.

Expect this procurement to move out quickly. Test and evaluation should proceed rapidly as the TANGO6T is already a known quantity. Conversely, this new optic will also have significant impacts on marksmanship training in how to properly use a variable power optic, beyond snipers and designated marksmen. That could mean the training base will have to adapt the SDMR new equipment training for a new caliber, and wider audience. The optics will likely be ready before the force is ready to receive them.

The first tranche of around 45,000 DVO are supposed to go to the US Air Force for use by Security Forces, which is the largest enlisted careerfield in the AF. This will satisfy a requirement we’ve been reporting on since 2018.

However, the US Army will assuredly buy off this contract as well. They awarded it after all. To be sure, the Army is committed to the Next Generation Squad Weapon – Fire Control solution currently being evaluated alongside the NGSW candidates. However, there are two issues afoot. First off, FC will be very expensive and likely only used with the next gen guns once they come online. The second issue is that the Army has almost one million M4/16 rifles in their inventory. Even if NGSW is completely fielded it’s well short of the inventory of rifles and machine guns it will replace. I estimate the M4 will remain in service well into the 2040s in very large numbers, as in hundreds of thousands. While the M4 won’t be the main battle rifle used by close combat forces, there is no reason to not replace the current fixed magnification (1x magnification) M4 COMP from Aimpoint with a variable power optic.

Consequently, there is already talk of a procurement of tens of thousands of DVO for use by close combat forces awaiting NGSW since DVO was written specifically for use with the M4A1. Yes, you read that right, the Army will buy this scope. Remember, the Army initially talked about purchasing 120,000 optics (to include other agency buys) when the requirement dropped.

There’s a lot of room in the contract to buy optics and they can modify it to buy even more if the need arises. Considering it’s an OTA, modifying the ceiling isn’t difficult. The Army just needs to be careful about how long they use the section 804 authority to purchase this piece of equipment (up to five years according to the award data).

However, once it is assigned an NSN, they can transition procurement into sustainment and have the Defense Logistics Agency manage procurement. Along with that move is generally a new contract opportunity and a chance for other vendors to compete to build it. This usually occurs once the initial contract runs out, which is around five years.

This program kicks off soon.

US Army at Work on High-Tech Gear, New Rifle, to Give Soldiers Winning Edge in Close Combat

Wednesday, November 4th, 2020

FORT BENNING, Ga. – The Army is on track to equip its Soldiers with state-of-the-art gear that will give them a decisive edge in close-quarters combat, items that include a high-tech goggle, a more lethal rifle, and binoculars that see in the dark, a senior Army leader says in an official video.

The items are among those the Army is working with industry to develop for Soldiers to use on future battlefields in close combat against “near-peer” adversaries, Brig. Gen. David Hodne, the Army’s Chief of Infantry, says in the video.

Hodne also heads the Army’s Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team, which is working to develop the three items. Three other officers from the team also appear in the video.

What Hodne calls the “signature modernization efforts” are: the Integrated Visual Augmentation System, known as IVAS; Next Generation Squad Weapons, or NGSW, and the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular, or the ENVG-B.

The National Defense Strategy drafted under former Secretary of Defense James Mattis and published in 2018 “identified a worrisome erosion in overmatch between U.S. Forces and our near-peer competitors around the world,” says Hodne.

“Nearly two decades of sustained combat operations continues to yield seasoned leaders and combat veterans skilled in small-unit action,” he says. “However, near-peer competitors studied how we project power, how we fight, and what we fight with.”

Also informing the effort was the “Russian New Generation Warfare Study” that was led by retired Brig. Gen. Pete Jones, a former Chief of Infantry.

“This study,” says Hodne, “combined with the Close Combat Strategic Portfolio Review, and the 2018 National Defense Strategy revealed gaps that warranted serious consideration.”

“Near-peer threats have capabilities that match and in some cases exceed our capabilities,” he says. “In some cases, our adversaries can detect before they’re detected, and that means they can target, and engage, before we do.

“Our current capabilities are not sufficient for battlefields distributed in urban and subterranean environments,” says Hodne. “And we have to anticipate the implications of new technologies on the battlefield and foster a culture of experimentation and calculated risk-taking.”

A major focus of the effort, says Hodne, is the Close Combat Force, or CCF, those who close with and destroy the enemy in close combat.

That force is made up of Soldiers in five military job categories: Infantry, Cavalry scouts, combat engineers, and their accompanying forward observers and medics.

Together they account for 4% of the overall force, Hodne says, and the major percentage of battlefield casualties.

“Historically, 90 percent of battlefield casualties generally occur among four percent of the force,” he says.

“It’s for these specialties, those Soldiers with the purpose of closing with and destroying the enemy in close combat, where we’ve focused our efforts,” he says.

“It’s worth noting this particular cohort of close-combat Soldiers generally receives a small fraction of the budget portfolio intended for modernization,” says Hodne.

Integrated Visual Augmentation System

The first project highlighted in the video is the Integrated Visual Augmentation System, or IVAS. It’s a head-mounted digital goggle that connects to a small computer and a radio. A Soldier can see through it both in daylight and in the dark.

“IVAS takes night vision to a new level with leap-ahead digital technologies,” Lt. Col. Brad Winn says in the video. Winn is the Soldier Lethality CFT’s lead action officer for the IVAS.

“Department of Defense leaders wanted a single device Soldiers could use to fight, rehearse and train,” Winn says. “IVAS is that device. It improves Soldier sensing, decision-making, target acquisition, target engagement and situational awareness.”

According to the video, IVAS can show the Soldier battlefield information about where the enemy is and where others in the Soldier’s unit are; helps Soldiers see a target they need to shoot at, uses facial recognition software that can tell the Soldier who a person is; can translate various languages into English; and allows Soldiers to send one another various kinds of digital information, including map coordinates and imagery of what’s happening on the battlefield.

“IVAS has incorporated Intra-Soldier Wireless Connectivity and the ability to pass data among squad, platoon and company formations,” Winn says. “They can talk to each other and share images on and off the objective.”

That could include, for example, what a certain building or other objective looks like.

“The Soldiers following behind, or the next one on the objective, will know exactly what that objective looks like, whether it’s the inside of a building, wooded terrain – anywhere,” Winn says.

“IVAS enhances every aspect of Soldier lethality,” he says. “It improves and increases the Soldier’s situational awareness and enhances his or her ability to maneuver and outmaneuver our adversaries. IVAS will make a smarter, better-informed, more agile and lethal Soldier. It will save American lives on the battlefield.”

The Army has gathered more than 20,000 hours of testing involving nearly 1,000 Soldiers, Marines, and members of special operations forces, and expects to field the first unit in the latter part of 2021, Winn says.

The Army plans to field it to the entire Close Combat Force in the Army’s 58 brigade combat teams, in the Army’s Active and National Guard components, he says.

Next Generation Squad Weapons

A second item highlighted in the video are Next Generation Squad Weapons, or NGSW.

“Near-peer adversaries continue to acquire and develop capabilities that counter Army squad weapons and ammunition, reducing, and in some cases negating, our combat overmatch,” Maj. Wyatt Ottmar, the Soldier Lethality CFT’s project officer for the NGSW, says in the video.

The NGSW fires a 6.8 mm round. It would replace in the Close Combat Force the M249 and M4A1, both of which fire 5.56 mm rounds, says Ottmar.

Development of the NGSW is an outgrowth of the Army’s 2017 Small Arms Ammunition Configuration Study, which showed the need for a new weapon, Ottmar says.

The Army will test several rifle prototypes produced by various companies and expects to field a new squad weapon in the latter part of 2022.

Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular

The third project outlined in the video is the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular, or ENVG-B.

Night Vision Goggles are far from new, but the ENVG-B gives Soldiers a clearer view and are easier to use, Maj. James Siebert says in the video. Siebert is the Soldier Lethality CFT’s action officer for the ENVG-B project.

“The ENVG-B enables superior combat overmatch by providing Soldiers a binocular system that delivers unparalleled vision day and night in low light, no light, fog, smoke or inclement weather,” says Siebert.

“It offers greater clarity and better depth perception,” he says.

“Rather than looking down at a 2D map or smartphone device, Soldiers see virtual icons overlaid on their real-world view in real time,” says Siebert.

The video was one of several warfighting-related “Warrior Corner” videos produced for viewing by participants in the 2020 Virtual Maneuver Warfighter Conference, held online Sept. 9-10 by Fort Benning’s U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence. The MCoE has since made them available to the public on YouTube.

By Franklin Fisher

New Bushnell LMSS2 an Evolution of the Elite Tactical Lightweight Modular Spotting Scope

Wednesday, October 28th, 2020

Elite Tactical LMSS2 Offers Enhanced Lens Coatings, Updated Reticle Options

 

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – October 28, 2020 – Bushnell®, an industry leader in performance optics, has taken its professional-grade Elite Tactical compact spotting scope to an even higher level with the new 8-40x 60mm LMSS2.

The Elite Tactical LMSS2 combines compact elite-quality HD glass with a military-grade riflescope optical design. It builds on the original Lightweight Modular Spotting Scope (LMSS) with features including upgraded exterior lens coatings, updated HORUS reticle options and a power-change throw lever as well as other user control enhancements. Military personnel, law enforcement officers, competitive shooters and hunters can employ the LMSS2 to complement their Elite Tactical optics or other MIL-based riflescopes.

Ideal for training and competitive shooting that requires long-range target acquisition, the LMSS2’s key features include:

• ED Prime (HD) glass and fully multi-coated optics paired with ultra-wide-band coatings to allow for more light transmission in low-light situations, providing superior image brightness and color resolution

• Compact and lightweight HDOS system enables low-profile, lightweight construction without sacrificing resolution or contrast

• Aluminum alloy chassis construction is rugged and meets IXP7 waterproof standards; heavy-duty rubber overmold ensures that the glass and mechanical components are both secured and protected to maintain optical performance for years of use

• Bushnell’s exclusive EXO Barrier molecularly bonds to exterior lens surfaces and repels water, oil, fog, dust and debris so the user can see the target in any condition

• Throw Hammer PCR lever speeds up magnification changes and target engagements

The LMSS2 Elite Tactical is available with the H322 or the TREMOR4 spotting scope reticle. The H322 is designed as a companion to the H59 and H58 riflescope reticles, and is ideal for spotting with any MRAD-based riflescope reticle or where real-time measured targeting information is required. Its 0.2 milliradian (MRAD) Horus Grid and patented Rapid Range Bars make it well suited for those looking for robust wind and drop compensation, target range estimation and follow-up shot spotter communication capabilities. The TREMOR4 builds on the H322 and is designed as a companion to the TREMOR2, TREMOR3 or TREMOR5 riflescope reticles. It is also an exceptional reticle for spotting with any MRAD-based riflescope reticle. With its 0.2 mil Horus Grid and patented time of flight wind dots, it can be used with any ballistics and in any environmental conditions for excellent follow-up shot spotter communication capabilities.

With a minimum magnification of eight power – an ideal setting when employed with night vision – and a maximum of 40 power, the LMSS2 Elite Tactical is one of the most versatile premium spotting scopes on the market. It comes with a detachable (3 user selectable positions) picatinny rail, giving users the ability to quickly and easily mount red dot sights for faster target acquisition or laser rangefinders. An optional, third party rail kit designed as a direct-connect, OEM system further expands the scope’s accessory compatibility. Other features contributing to versatility, performance and ease of use include a twist-up eyecup, fast-focus diopter, integral ¼-20 tripod connection and bottom accessory rail connections.

The 8-40x 60mm LMSS2 Elite Tactical measures 12.7 inches in length and weighs 37 ounces without rail. Color is flat dark earth and black. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $1,749.99. Lens caps and cleaning cloth are included.

All Elite Tactical optics are covered by Bushnell’s Iron Clad Lifetime Warranty. For more information on the company’s full line of binoculars, spotting scopes and other optics, visit www.bushnell.com.