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2019-12-05

Better Eyes on the Front Lines

There's little room for error on the battlefield. But Raytheon’s ELCAN rifle sights are helping soldiers hit their mark, even when firing from behind cover or traversing hills.

Here's how it works: A laser rangefinder sends out a pulse to measure the distance to the target. A ballistic module then tells the shooter precisely where to point.

This all happens in a matter of seconds. Thanks to Raytheon, a solider can now engage the enemy effectively without using a lot of ammunition, no matter the distance or conditions.

Fire control is traditionally associated with much larger platforms, such as tanks, aircraft and ships, where many components work together to hit a target. But weighing just three pounds and measuring 3x4 inches, Raytheon’s digital fire-control system is the only system small enough for assault rifles, mounting onto the standard rail with a clamp and removed easily for other firearms.

Unlike similar systems, the Raytheon system works in a canted, or tilted, position using special software and combat-proven ballistic computer chip to calculate a corrected aim point if the shooter engages from behind cover or is moving up or downhill. The ELCAN accommodates multiple ammunition calibres, including rounds used less frequently.

The ballistic computer chip also works with external laser rangefinders to determine the exact bullet impact point. Another benefit is the system's resilience that sees the mid- to long-range scope still work when the rangefinder fails.

ELCAN Saving Lives

Ty Blanchard was leading a U.S. Special Forces team in Afghanistan when gunfire erupted and one of his men went down. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a figure escaping and circling back to flank and attack.

He had to act fast but thankfully his gun was equipped with a dual-field-of-view ELCAN optical sight. He switched his view from 1x close-quarters mode to 4x long-range engagement, suppressing the enemy fire and allowing him to move his team out safely.

“Being able to engage at the weapon’s maximum effective range accurately – even just being able to get them to put their heads down – saved our guys’ lives,” said Blanchard, who served more than 26 years in the U.S. Army and is now a senior manager for Raytheon Land Warfare Systems. But ELCAN Specter dual-role and fixed magnification sights have improved again since 2015, with their weight reduced by 15 per cent and battery life extended by 50 per cent. Both have a new low profile illumination switch.

Thanks to a side-mounted “throw lever”, the Specter DR sight changes the field of view quickly and easily. Whether utilising the red dot in 1x (1.5x) mode or the ranging reticle in the 4x (6x) mode, the Specter DR dual optic provides both close quarters and precision down-range fire capability in single optic, ultra-wide viewing angles.

The Specter DR DFOV sight is also equipped with an illuminated reticle that, when paired with its superior light-gathering capability, makes it extremely effective in low light conditions. The improved low profile illumination switch reduces the overall width of the sight, while the ELCAN Specter DR optical sight is compatible with image intensified (I2) and thermal clip-on devices to provide complete day/night packages meeting every mission requirement.

Dual Sight Range

Selected by the U.S. Special Operations Command for elite SpecOps missions, the ELCAN Specter DR 1-4x dual role weapon sight provides both fast acquisition and long-range target identification, whether the mission calls for clearing a building or staging an open-terrain patrol. The dual-role sight is also available with more than 50 custom ballistic reticles for changing mission requirements, such as choosing between targets that are close in or far out.

“Very often, missions don’t turn out how you plan,” said Dan Pettry, a former U.S. Army Ranger and now a product manager for Raytheon ELCAN Rifle Sights. “That’s why having two weapons with two different sights isn’t the best scenario.”

The ELCAN Specter DR sight allows a shooter to switch instantly from one magnification to another with extended eye relief and both-eyes-open capability in reaction to changing conditions. Today, 100,000s of ELCAN Specter sights are fielded with allied forces around the world, including the U.S., Australia, Canada, Norway and Italy.

“It was our go-to sight for every guy on the team,” said Blanchard. The Green Beret has used Raytheon sights from the jungles of Asia-Pacific to the deserts of the Middle East and while some sighting systems are developed for commercial use and later adapted to military operations, the ELCAN Specter sighting systems have been designed with combat operations in mind.

“The reliability of it,” said Blanchard. “You just can’t beat it.”

Reference Text: www.raytheon.com

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