VORTEX OPTICS AWARDED OTA FOR THE US ARMY’S COMPETITIVELY SOLICITED NEXT GENERATION SQUAD WEAPON FIRE CONTROL (NGSW-FC) PROTOTYPE PROGRAM

BARNEVELD, Wis. For the last 18 years, innovation has meant everything to Vortex Optics. It’s meant our emergence as a leader in the sport optics industry. It’s allowed us to provide our customers the tools they need to pursue and protect what matters most in their lives.

But starting today, our dedication to innovation means something even more.

We’re honored to announce that the US Army – PM Soldier Lethality awarded Vortex® an agreement to deliver the Next Generation Squad Weapon-Fire Control (NGSW-FC) Production Ready Prototypes for Soldier TouchPoint (STP) evaluations.

As a direct-view optic, the 1-8×30 Active Reticle™ Fire Control provides everything you’d expect from a variable-power, first focal plane riflescope. When augmented with an overlaid digital display, however, it provides features unheard of in a traditional small arms fire control.

“As a veteran-owned, non-traditional defense contractor, it’s very important to us that we listen to warfighters,” said Sam Hamilton, Chief Technical Officer at Vortex Optics. “When we learned of the soldier’s need for increased lethality out of their squad weapons—combined with the Small Arms Ammunition Configuration (SAAC) study, which proved that advancements in electro-optical fire control had the greatest potential to increase soldier’s lethality—we knew there was an important capability gap we could fill.”

The Vortex Optics 1-8×30 Active Reticle™ Fire Control is built around a revolutionary technology based on many years of internal research and development, along with multiple cooperative development efforts with the Army’s PM-Soldier Weapons group. The end result is Active Reticle™, which has been proven to increase hit percentage and decrease time to engage during US Army Soldier touchpoints over the last two years.

Even in the case of a battery power loss, soldiers are left with an uncompromised 1-8x, direct-view optic and glass-etched reticle exceeding current capability.

Hamilton said, “By combining a unity power 1-8x direct view optic utilizing a first focal plane, etched reticle, a 1km capable laser rangefinder, state of the art on-board ballistic engine, atmospheric sensor suite, and programmable active matrix micro-display overlaid onto the first focal plane, Active Reticle™ delivers a true multi-mission fire control enabling everything from CQB to designated marksmanship at the extents of the NGSW’s effective range.”

For the soldier in the field, that means the freedom to devote their entire focus downrange. Hamilton said, “End-users will no longer need to leave their field of view to consult separate rangefinders or ballistic calculators, slowing them down and compromising their situational awareness.”

BEAVERTON, Ore. — Leupold & Stevens, Inc., provider of the world’s most rugged, lightweight, and clear riflescopes and reflex sights, is pleased to announce that its award-winning Mark 5HD riflescope has been selected for use with the United States Army’s M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System. Like all of Leupold’s riflescopes, the Mark 5HD is designed, machined, and assembled in the company’s Beaverton, Ore. factory.

The Mark 5HD that’s being built for the M110 will come in a proprietary flat dark earth coating and utilize the Army’s patented Mil-Grid Reticle. It will include a Leupold Mark IMS mount. The 3.6-18 is the second Mark 5HD model to be selected for use by the U.S. Army this year. The 5-25×56, featuring the same FDE coating and reticle, was selected by the Army Precision Sniper Rifle Program last month.

“The men and women of the U.S. armed forces require and deserve the very best, and when it comes to riflescopes, that’s the Mark 5HD,” said Bruce Pettet, President and Chief Executive Officer for Leupold & Stevens, Inc. “Our optics face strenuous durability testing, and fully meet the extremely high performance standards that the military demands.”

The Mark 5HD has been crafted to redefine accuracy, precision, and optical performance for long-range shooters. Three models – a 7-35×56, 5-25×56, and 3.6-18×44 – are available in both milliradian and MOA configurations. Pick one up and you’ll feel the difference: it’s up to 20 ounces lighter than other scopes in its class. Get behind one and you’ll see the difference, from its superior edge-to-edge clarity to its extreme low-light performance. With three revolutions of elevation adjustment, the Mark 5HD was made to max out the performance of the latest long-range rifles and ammunition.

“The Mark 5 was designed in partnership with elite shooters to create a product that has the quality and features required to get rounds on target faster,” said Sam Horstman, Director of Military Sales for Leupold & Stevens, Inc. “The end result is precisely the caliber of riflescope we’d want our troops to have in the field.”

Leupold proudly provides its optics to the United States military, law enforcement, and government agencies across the country, and to the armed forces of many of our nation’s closest allies.

Waterproof, fogproof, and guaranteed to perform for life, the Mark 5HD is backed by the company’s legendary Lifetime Guarantee.

For more information on Leupold products, please visit us at Leupold.com.

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