Next gen combat optics

**WillBrink** · 11-30-22, 07:36

First thoughts/concerns are size,weight, and reliability, but that was a concern with early optics too no doubt. That's a lot of electronics to hope does not die in the field, but resistance to added to complexity is not always a bad thing. I know for myself, not an early adopter of tech, hence why I just got my first RDS on a pistol. Still, cool factor 10:

**markm** · 11-30-22, 07:51

Beats training soldiers to shoot at distance! Just charge the taxpayers $20k a piece to bolt a mail box on a pic rail.

**gsd2053** · 11-30-22, 10:12

If reliable. You can't beat it. To be able to instantly and accurately put shots on target while reducing human error in stressful combat situations. It gives an unfair advantage to the pushed through basic training masses.

The ammo savings alone it will pay for itself.

**sinister** · 11-30-22, 13:01

According to the The Army Almanac for WWII, "Its mission was to provide ground force units properly organized, trained and equipped for combat operations." About 4,400,000 personnel were part of the Army Ground Forces during the war. They sustained about 80% of U.S. Army casualties.

4,400,000 infantrymen. Let's say half were equipped with M1 rifles, so 2,200,000.

A single $20,000 optic per each (if we were to have the time to recruit, equip, train, and deploy just United States Army infantry (exclusive of Marines) for WWIII is $4.4 Billion -- before the first rifle, sling, magazines, and cleaning kit.

Let's be realistic. Today's US Army is about 460,000 troops, and about 15% are in line infantry units (not counting the training base and others in recruiting, teaching, etc.).

"U.S. Marine Corps - 23,376 infantry in 24 Marine infantry battalions and U.S. Army - 54,983 infantry in 79 Army infantry battalions."

54,983 x .50 (half equipped with rifles) would be 27,942. At $20K apiece that's still $55.88 Million just in whiz-bang scopes.

**HKGuns** · 11-30-22, 13:06

Originally Posted by sinister

4,400,000 infantrymen. Let's say half were equipped with M1 rifles, so 2,200,000.

A single $20,000 optic per each (if we were to have the time to recruit, equip, train, and deploy just United States Army infantry (exclusive of Marines) for WWIII is $4.4 Billion -- before the first rifle, sling, magazines, and cleaning kit.

Extremely valid point, but hey, we just put it on the credit card.

Heck haven’t we given more than that away already to Ukraine?

All that crap looks like it will get humped about 10 feet before some slob gets tired of the weight and tosses it in the ditch.

The ammo weighs more, the rifle weighs more and I guarantee you the mailbox weighs more than an acog or light 1-6x costing 1/200th as much.

**B Cart** · 11-30-22, 14:38

I mean, nobody seems to balk at the announcement to spend $200B on 100 new B-21 Spirit Stealth bombers. Outside of a nuclear conflict, how much impact will those bombers really add to the average modern day battlefield?

Not advocating for or against this scope, but we spend a metric sh*tload more money on other military tech, and nobody complains. Having competed for many years in long range precision matches, i'm all for proper training, vs just the next whiz bang scope, but if they can offer a legit advantage, why not keep innovating?

**HKGuns** · 11-30-22, 15:05

Originally Posted by B Cart

I mean, nobody seems to balk at the announcement to spend $200B on 100 new B-21 Spirit Stealth bombers. Outside of a nuclear conflict, how much impact will those bombers really add to the average modern day battlefield?

Not advocating for or against this scope, but we spend a metric sh*tload more money on other military tech, and nobody complains. Having competed for many years in long range precision matches, i'm all for proper training, vs just the next whiz bang scope, but if they can offer a legit advantage, why not keep innovating?

Conventional Air support.

**just a scout** · 11-30-22, 15:10

Originally Posted by sinister

4,400,000 infantrymen. Let's say half were equipped with M1 rifles, so 2,200,000.

A single $20,000 optic per each (if we were to have the time to recruit, equip, train, and deploy just United States Army infantry (exclusive of Marines) for WWIII is $4.4 Billion -- before the first rifle, sling, magazines, and cleaning kit.

Let's be realistic. Today's US Army is about 460,000 troops, and about 15% are in line infantry units (not counting the training base and others in recruiting, teaching, etc.).

"U.S. Marine Corps - 23,376 infantry in 24 Marine infantry battalions and U.S. Army - 54,983 infantry in 79 Army infantry battalions."

54,983 x .50 (half equipped with rifles) would be 27,942. At $20K apiece that's still $55.88 Million just in whiz-bang scopes.

That’s nothing but a rounding error to todays Pentagon. They’re wasting a hundred times that renaming bases.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro