Family of Weapon Sights (FWS)
Abstract
FWS is a family of weapon sights that enable combat forces to acquire and engage targets with small arms and to conduct surveillance and fire control under day/night obscurants, no-light, and adverse weather conditions. The family utilizes advancements in thermal and low light level sensors to produce Individual (I), Crew-Served (CS), and Sniper (S) weapon sights operable in-line with a day optic or in stand-alone mode. This project integrates smaller pixel focal plane arrays in multiple large format sizes to improve sensitivity, clarity, and range, while simultaneously reducing the size, weight and power consumption of all variants. The FWS-I variant is a weapon mounted long-wave infrared sensor that enables Soldiers to fire quickly and accurately from any carry position and with significantly reduced exposure to enemy fire by providing a wireless zeroed weapon aimpoint in the Soldier's Enhanced Night Vision Goggle III (ENVG III) goggle or day display on the helmet. Leveraging the success of the Individual variant development, the FWS-CS variant operates as the primary sight; it includes a wireless Helmet Mount Display (HMD) and provides the Soldier with input from a laser range finder device, resulting in a more accurate aimpoint that adjusts automatically for range, ammunition characteristics, and vertical angle. The FWS-S variant mounts in-line with the Sniper's direct view optic providing a thermal imagery capability to the host weapon at the weapon's maximum effective range, plus 20% overmatch. FWS-S provides Snipers a large format display with increased pixel density that enables accurate long range engagements while maintaining day sight, extending the lethality and provide exceptional observation. The modified FWS- CS Light program will leverage the advancements in technology from the FWS and will support Combat support and Service Support units with a FWS -CS Light. This also supports Thermal Weapon Sight obsolesce through the Future Years Defense Plan.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2019
- Source ID
- eeed44a0ca6f2f158c07e64a1744adb2