New Sighting System For Light Support Weapons From BAE

[Kirkhill]

http://www.armedforces-int.com/news/royal-navy-helicopter-q-sight-grss-trials.html
https://ausa.us.baesystems.com/prodserv/pdf/BAE-Systems-Q-Sight-GRSS.pdf

I was reading this month's DESider (British MOD logistics house mag) and stumbled across a blurb about a new sighting system for door gunners.

The Gunner has a helmet mounted Eye Piece (one eye - clear) connected by an umbilical to the TI sight mounted on his weapon.  He still fires using the spade grips.  The Gunner doesn't need to move to keep the target in sight and doesn't have to wait for the tracers and beaten zone to confirm his aim.  Also the problem of recoil preventing the use of sights while firing goes away.

There has been a lot of discussion on these boards in the past about the advantages of the Remote Weapons Systems and their superior technology being contrasted with the need to be able to "sniff the air" and not be buttoned up.

It seems to me that this technology helps to bridge that gap and would also be applicable to ground-mounted units (HMG, CASW?, C6, C9).  Perhaps this is the system that could even be pushed all the way down to the individual rifleman?

The SA80 will be fitted with an enhanced sighting system on the weapon or linked to the soldier's helmet mounted sight. A linked sighting system allows the soldier to fire round corners at the target while remaining in a protected position.

  FIST link

I wonder how a helmet mounted Indirect Fire Control sight would work.  (Look at target, select IF(Mor) - engage with 60mm, select IF(Razzle) and close eyes immediately - GPS determines your locstate and locstate of Firing Point - Helmet determines bearing - Sight Determines Range)

 

[Illegio]

I believe that the individual HMS was already trialled with the US Land Warrior system and the now-defunct Objective Individual Combat Weapon. The problem with that system was that the camera/interface added considerable bulk to an already-bulky weapon and that while shooting around corners sounds cool, it's awkward with todays' weapons... They were designed to be fired from the shoulder, not poked around corners at arms-length. The first issue will no doubt be resolved with advances in miniaturization, but the second?

 

[Kirkhill]

Good point on the shoulder-fired weapons.  How about ground and vehicle mounted weapons? 

On the other hand how about mounting the sighting system on a hand gun?  Low enough recoil to handle firing round corners in CQB?

 

[a_majoor]

Low enough recoil to handle firing round corners in CQB?

You could always roll a hand grenade around the corner

 

[Kirkhill]

You could always roll a hand grenade around the corner

;D

 

[KevinB]

Somewhere I have pictures of the Land Warrior off axial aimer from stuff from Ft. Benning.