Advanced Sight Could Double Range for Shooters

The next generation of battlefield optics will empower infantrymen to hit enemy targets from twice the effective range of the M4 carbine if Defense Department scientists get their way.

This summer, officials at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency are scheduled to begin testing prototypes of the Dynamic Image Gunsight Optic, known as "DInGO."

Modern rifle optics have become essential kit for combat troops. They're dependable, accurate and help riflemen aim and shoot quicker than old-school iron sights.

The goal of the DInGO program is to ensure that the average Soldier can hit enemy fighters at ranges out to 600 meters without having to estimate range or compensate for crosswinds, DARPA officials said.

Experienced combat shooters say that's likely to be a significant challenge. Army marksmanship training focuses on engaging targets out to 300 meters, since an M4's 5.56mm round's trajectory begins to drop significantly beyond that distance.

Wind conditions also hinder accuracy. A 10 mile per hour crosswind can push a 5.56mm round off target by more than eight inches at 400 meters. Techniques for reading wind speeds and compensating for their effects on accuracy are generally only taught in advanced marksmanship and sniper courses.

Lockheed Martin officials hope that the technology they are building into DInGO prototypes will eliminate the need for training.

"What this device actually has built into it is a small laser that helps the operator make aim-point corrections," said John Wojnar, director of laser and sensor systems business development at Lockheed Martin's Mission Systems and Sensors.

DARPA awarded Lockheed Martin a $3.7 million contract to build 16 DInGO prototypes for testing. DARPA officials declined a recent request from Military.com to take a close look at the technology.Currently, the device weighs about a pound and is approximately five inches long, three inches wide and three inches high, Wojnar said. It has a digital micro display that originated in the cell phone industry.

DInGO is based on Lockheed's Advanced Sighting System (One-Shot) technology developed for the sniper community. One-Shot relies on sensors that measure environmental conditions at several points along a bullet's path to the target.

The sniper community, however, has pointed out that a good spotter can be just as effective or better than One-Shot at ensuring a long-range shot reaches its mark.

The prototypes can "gauge wind speed and other atmospheric conditions -- not as accurately as One-Shot can gauge wind speed -- but it can provide an alternate aim point," Wojnar said.

The 8-power device features a digital zoom function that allows a shooter to quickly change ranges to engage multiple targets from 300 to 600 meters, Wojnar said.

It calculates the range with a low-power laser rangefinder, zooms in on it and then accounts for environmental conditions without requiring the shooter to move his hands, Lockheed officials said. The embedded ballistic computer then projects the bullet's point-of-impact with an alternative aim point.

Right now, it's unclear how the DInGO will work as a "retrofit attachment" to the standard Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight and Close Combat Optic, but the concept calls for the device to mount on a standard Picatinny rail system.

The final version of DInGO is supposed to run for eight hours on two AA batteries. If all goes well, the new optic could be ready for fielding sometime in 2014, Wojnar said.

Depending on the size of the fielding requirement, DInGO could cost up to $1,000 each.

In addition to the combat mode, DInGO is being designed to feature a surveillance mode that would let the operator take a digital photo of a target to send over a network or store in the memory for future viewing, Wojnar said. It would also feature a training mode that would support video feed from an external display, such as a high-definition TV, allowing the shooter to practice in a virtual setting, he said.