The U.S. Army has awarded BAE Systems a seven-year contract worth up to $384 million to provide specialized weapon sights that improve soldiers’ ability to quickly and accurately engage targets at extended ranges.
The Family of Weapon Sights - Crew Served (FWS-CS) system is designed specifically for machine gunners and operates during daylight, darkness, adverse weather, and obscured visibility conditions. The technology combines high-resolution sensors with a lightweight laser range-finder and wirelessly transmits weapon sight imagery in real time to a helmet-mounted display.
On today’s battlefield, Army gunners need to accurately identify targets at greater ranges despite challenging battlefield conditions. At the same time, they need compact, lightweight, and energy efficient solutions. BAE Systems’ FWS-CS sight was designed to meet these needs and provide significant advantages in surveillance, situational awareness, engagement, lethality, and survivability.
“Supplying the Army with crew served, gunner-specific weapon sights builds on our heritage as a long time provider of weapon sight solutions,” said Marc Casseres, Director of Imaging and Aiming Solutions at BAE Systems.
“Our innovative 12-micron sensor technology allows us to provide soldiers with superior clarity and range to dominate the battlefield through increased situational awareness in all operational environments and conditions,” he added.
BAE Systems’ FWS-CS system provides an unprecedented level of targeting speed, precision, and field of view using the company’s mature high resolution thermal imaging technology, combined with an automatic range-adjusted, targeting reticle that eliminates the need for manual weapon offset calculations.
The BAE Systems-developed FWS-CS long-range infrared sight is designed for the 0.50 caliber M2, 7.62 mm M240 machine gun, and the Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher. With an initial development order of $10.5 million, work will be performed at the company’s facilities in Hudson, New Hampshire and Austin, Texas.
