We visited the Moscow laboratory of the Innovative Weapon Technologies Company, which develops and manufactures the world's most advanced robotic thermal imaging sights, and did not forget to look into the shooting range.
Shooting with a robotic thermal imaging sight resembles a computer game: an on-screen menu in the field of view, a minimum of calculations, instant replay (video replay).
I have never fired a sniper rifle in my life. And recently I tried it. And he immediately hit the target - first at the sighting distance of 50 m, and then at 250 m, almost to the very center of the target. If it had happened not in the closed shooting range of the Biserovo-Sporting shooting club, but in the open shooting range, I would certainly have shown a good result at 500 m, and then, I can vouch, I would have fought for my first kilometer.
While working at Popular Mechanics, I, of course, read about ballistic tables and calculators, corrections for wind and target elevation, temperature and humidity. In this case, none of this knowledge was useful to me. As if in a computer game, I just aimed the crosshair at the target and pulled the trigger. All the work was done for me by an ultra-modern computer sight.
Loyal readers of "PM" probably thought that we got the American development TrackingPoint for the test, but this is not so. The Heckler? &? Koch MR308 rifle was crowned with the IWT LF640 PRO domestic sighting system from the Innovative Weapon Technologies company.
Accuracy formula
General Designer, who is also the founder of Innovative Weapon Technologies, Sergei Mironichev, quotes Steve Jobs with respect and shares his vision: devices should become more complex just to make them easier to use.
The IWT LF640 PRO tested by us is a thermal imaging sight, that is, a universal sight for all occasions, except perhaps for shooting at cold sports targets. He is able to show warm-blooded targets at any time of the day, in any weather conditions, even if they are partially hidden by vegetation and camouflage.
The sight is equipped with a built-in rangefinder that works at distances up to 3.5 km. At distances up to 1200 m, even not too dense vegetation will not interfere with its work. To measure the distance to the target, just aim at it and press the rangefinder button. This is where the magic begins.
The built-in ballistic computer calculates the necessary correction for the firing range, and the reticle on the display is shifted accordingly. And this is just one of the many amendments. High-precision gyroscopes and accelerometers allow you to calculate the correction for the target elevation angle (the angle between the target line and the weapon horizon): the ballistics of a bullet gaining or losing height is different.
The built-in weather station (temperature, pressure and hygrometer) contributes by making corrections for air resistance. The GPS receiver and built-in maps inform the calculator if the bullet flies over the reservoir, since the characteristics of the air in this case are special. Using the Bluetooth protocol, the sight receives a report on the strength and direction of the wind from an external weather station, manual or fixed on a backpack, - a correction for the wind is ready.
All these measurements and calculations are done in the blink of an eye. The shooter does not need to think about it, nor does he need to read this article. You just need to pull the trigger.
And a cup of coffee, please
The IWT LF640 PRO sight runs under the Linux operating system and, in terms of computing power, will plug a powerful smartphone in the belt. To match the hardware and functionality of the device, which is not at all limited to the automatic calculation of ballistics.
The sight records the moment of the shot. This can be useful both for training purposes (analyze your own aiming technique, show the recording to the trainer), and as evidence of the legitimacy of your actions if the device is used by military or police units. The video image from the thermal imaging sensor can be broadcast in real time to an external display or smartphone via Wi-Fi. The sight finds a common language with gadgets on iOS, Android and Windows Phone.
At the moment of aiming, the device calculates the coordinates of the target, based on the data of the built-in magnetic compass, rangefinder, GPS receiver and protractor. The significance of this function is difficult to overestimate: to find a wild boar that has fallen over 500 m on rough terrain at dusk or bad weather is almost a more difficult task than making an accurate shot.
IWT scopes can independently track the target for you using motion detection. If a moving object appears in the field of view, the device will notify the shooter using a vibrating alert on the wrist control panel of the sight. The remote control, which looks like a clock, duplicates the controls located on the body of the device. It makes it much more convenient to use the on-screen menu.
Advanced models of sights are equipped with a "friend or foe" identification system and a rangefinder detection means. At the same time, the sight itself is protected from detection by night vision devices, thermal imagers, radar equipment and newfangled SWIR devices operating in the short-wave infrared range.
Thermal imaging sensor
IWT know-how is a movable thermal imaging sensor protected by a hydraulic shock absorber with static germanium lenses.
A rifle equipped with an IWT sight is aimed at one cartridge: analyzing the image of a bullet hole in a target, the computer makes the necessary amendments to the program the first time. Of course, the ballistics of a bullet depends on both the rifle model and the type of cartridge. The device memory can store settings for eight rifles with three types of cartridges for each, if the user needs to quickly move the sight from one weapon to another.
Focus with focus
The know-how that is stuffed with the IWT LF640 PRO sight is not only about software algorithms. The most important technology behind the IWT scopes is the movable thermal imaging sensor. In classic sights, the sensor is stationary relative to the body, while rotating the focusing wheel, the shooter moves the optical components of the system.
IWT scopes have a high-sensitivity sensor with a resolution of 640? x? 480 is located on a movable base, and the optical elements are rigidly fixed. Firstly, it gives a greater accuracy of the focusing mechanism: the weightless sensor is easier to move than heavy germanium lenses, so its positioning accuracy reaches 17 microns.
IWT LF640 PRO
To get started with the IWT LF640 PRO, just a short briefing is enough. All functions of the device are available through an intuitive on-screen menu, video recording for subsequent analysis is carried out automatically (it is easy to forget about the video if you need to concentrate on the target), special knowledge is not required to calculate the corrections.
Secondly, the moveable sensor and static optics make the scope much more reliable and versatile. The fact is that a thermal imaging sensor is a very fragile device that, being rigidly connected to the body of the sight and, accordingly, the rifle, can easily break from recoil. Therefore, classic thermal imaging sights cannot be used on large-caliber rifles. In the IWT sight, a movable sensor is located on a hydraulic shock absorber, which dampens overloads when fired. A large caliber is not a problem for such a scope. Finally, with all its functions, the IWT LF640 PRO sight weighs only 850 g and has a relatively modest size.
The software for IWT riflescopes is constantly being updated. The philosophy of the company dictates the following approach to modernization: as soon as the designers have an idea to use a new sensor or interface, it, even without the appropriate software, is immediately installed on serial sights. Thanks to this, all the company's devices have rich potential. All this time, software developers have been working on the idea, and in the course of subsequent software updates, the client receives new functions that have already been tested and perfected.
With an eye to the future
My story about the "magic" sight made many acquaintances, shooting and not shooting, smile: they say, if the device does everything for the shooter, what skill of a sniper can we talk about? According to Sergei Mironichev, this approach can be practiced before the first real combat operation or even hunting. “Seeing a living enemy or even just a beast in front of him, a person forgets up to 90% of his knowledge and skills,” says an experienced military man and hunter. “There’s no time for calculations and video filming, I shouldn’t forget to hold my breath”. Therefore, there is no reason to doubt the demand for automatic sighting systems.
The rifle sights of the Innovative Weapon Technologies are constantly being improved, and meanwhile Sergei Yuryevich is already directing his visionary gaze to new areas. By order of the IWT, a wind lidar is being developed - a laser radar that monitors the slightest fluctuations in air density to determine the speed and direction of the wind. Such devices are used in civil aviation, but there are still no compact samples in nature. If you are lucky, the Russian company may well claim the championship.
Another promising development, while hiding in the experienced assembly workshops of the company, evokes associations with science fiction films. We are talking about thermal imaging 3D glasses with an integrated sighting and observation complex, which completely frees the shooter's hands and allows shooting at heat-contrast targets even from a pistol. In addition, the display of the glasses can display maps of the area and floor plans, they have a built-in computer complex, targeting systems, data transmission and communication, as well as navigation and much more.
We expect to talk about the glasses of the “shooter of the future” in one of the following issues of the magazine: after all, the specialists of “Innovative Weapon Technologies” have already invited us to watch, talk and shoot.
Everything at a glance
In the shooting club "Biserovo-sporting", there is a small zoo among other entertainments. Viewing lynxes through a thermal sight mounted on a sniper rifle is clearly not a good idea. But the IWT 640 MICRO micro thermal imager is perfect for this purpose. If desired, it can be used secretly, holding it in the palm of your hand. Hidden inside the tiny device, meanwhile, is a highly sensitive 640? x? 480, OLED display 800? x? 600 and radio interface for wireless control, transfer of photos, graphic and text information.
