Knight's Armament to build long-range sniper's rifles and electro-optical low-light and night-vision sights
NEWARK, N.J. – U.S. Army small arms experts needed long-range sniper's rifles and electro-optical sights to enable military marksmen to hit targets from as far away as half a mile. They found their solution from Knight's Armament Co. in Titusville, Fla.
Officials of the Army Contracting Command-New Jersey in Newark, N.J., announced a $15 million order to Knight's Armament on Wednesday for the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System and various M110 configurations.
The M110 Semi Automatic Sniper System (M110 SASS) is intended to replace the M24 sniper weapon system for U.S. Army and Marine Corps snipers, spotters, designated marksmen, or squad advanced marksmen. The semi-automatic precision rifle is chambered for the 7.62 by 51-millimeter NATO round. It is accurate to 1.1 inches at 300 feet.
The rifle uses the AN/PVS-29 Clip-on Sniper Night Sight (Clip-on SNS) military electro-optical system, which is an image-intensified passive night-vision targeting scope designed to help military snipers find and shoot targets during low light conditions and at night, without removing the day optical sight.
The AN/PVS-29 uses a variable-gain image tube that the sniper can adjust for ambient light conditions. When used with the M110 day optical sights, it provides for personnel-sized target recognition at quarter moon illumination in clear air to a range of 600 meters. It is powered by two AA batteries.
The night-vision scope weighs 3.5 pounds, focuses from 25 meters to infinity, and helps snipers recognize targets as far away as 2,000 feet. Knights Armament will do the work in Titusville, Fla., and should be finished by February 2016.
The Clip-on SNS enables military snipers to maintain the current level of accuracy with the M110 rifle and to fire accurately to within 1 minute of angle. Use of the Clip-on SNS does not affect the zero of the day optical sight and allows the M110 SASS to maintain bore sight throughout the focus range of the Clip-on SNS and the M110 day optical sight.
For more information contact Knights Armament online at www.knightarmco.com, or the Army Contracting Command-New Jersey at https://acc.army.mil/contractingcenters/acc-nj.
John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
