The Bundeswehr has commissioned Leonardo Germany GmbH with the manufacture and delivery of the new main combat sight for the Bundeswehr assault rifles. This is the result of a statement from the company today. According to Leonardo, the framework agreement includes the delivery of up to 107,929 visors, with the first deliveries already taking place in the third quarter of 2021.
The selected model is the ELCAN Specter DR 1-4x offered by Leonardo. Leonardo and Raytheon-Elcan have entered into a strategic partnership for the bid with Leonardo as prime contractor. The optics are manufactured by Raytheon-Elcan in Canada.
The optics selected by the Bundeswehr are basically the same target optics that were procured by the Danish armed forces. However, it has some Bundeswehr-specific modifications. This includes, among other things, the reticle required by the German Armed Forces, which is similar to that of the G36-ZF. Another important criterion was that the red target dot retains its original size when switching to fourfold magnification and thus does not cover a target. The optics are characterized as a closed system by high robustness. It clearly exceeded the required shot load during the tests.
The 153 mm long, 75 mm high and 67 mm wide optic weighs approx. 630 grams and can be attached to all handguns equipped with it via a Mil-Std 1913 interface - including a modified G36. The optics can be switched from one to four times the magnification using a lever that can be operated from both sides. The housing is kept in the new sand-colored color and has an integrated Mil-Std 1913 interface on the top, which also serves as an emergency sight. Since the optics were developed in Canada, they are not subject to US export control regulations (ITAR free).
According to well-informed circles, the delivery of the systems happens -similar to the procurement of the cross-sectional laser light modules– in several steps. It can therefore be assumed that the first optics delivered will serve as proof samples for troop testing.
According to reports, other Bundeswehr handguns - such as the MG4 or the MG5 - could also be equipped with the optics in the future.
It seems remarkable that the Bundeswehr is now ordering an assault rifle optics, similar to the laser light module, independently of the procurement decision in the “Bundeswehr Assault Rifle System” project. Since these components can be used on the small arms that have already been introduced, the German armed forces are taking a further step towards increasing the combat effectiveness of the infantry and the dismounted soldiers.
Jan-Phillipp Weisswange
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