Leonardo DRS to build mercury cadmium telluride infrared thermal weapon sight for special forces snipers
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – U.S. Army night-vision experts needed a thermal weapon sight for Special Operations soldiers. They found their solution from the Leonardo DRS Electro-Optical Infrared Systems segment in Melbourne, Fla.
Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., announced a $94.8 million contract to Leonardo DRS last month for the Family of Weapons Sights-Sniper Improved Night/Day Observation Device (INOD) Block III system.
INOD Block III provides a daylight and nightime rifle sight that can penetrate battlefield smoke, haze, and bad weather for Special Operation Forces (SOF) snipers. It clips in front of the existing rifle day scope, and enables the shooter to maintain the existing day scope zero.
The INOD employs a mercury cadmium telluride passive micro-cooled mid-wave infrared (MWIR) sensor to provide quality 640-by-480-pixel resolution that is usable with day scope magnifications from 5x to more than 25x to match or exceed current sniper weapons systems capabilities.
The INOD has been ruggedized for use with all special forces and U.S. Army sniper weapons -- particularly for long-range target detection and identification, observation of environmental indicators, and is capable of tracking bullet trajectory.
The device has hot-swap battery capability and external power for persistent surveillance on long missions. It has a rear facing focus knob enables one-handed gloved operation.
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INOD offers rapid identification, acquisition, and target engagement; passive enemy engagement; super elevation for target engagement to extreme ranges.
It measures 9.63 by 3.5 by 4.14 inches; weighs 3.5 pounds; and operates in temperatures from -20 to 50 degrees Celsius; and focuses from 20 meters to infinity, with a 2.48-degree field of view.
The INOD runs for more than five hours on six 3-volt DC lithium batteries, or on external power of 12 to 32 volts DC. For more information contact Leonardo DRS Electro-Optical Infrared Systems online at www.leonardodrs.com/who-we-are/our-segments/electro-optical-infrared-systems, or the Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen at https://acc.army.mil/contractingcenters/acc-apg/.
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.
