Thales Launches New Day/Night Weapon Sight

Thales unveiled XTRAIM, a new weapon sight offering day/night decamouflage capabilities that previously could only be achieved by using several separate pieces of equipment, on Tuesday.

It is compatible with all shoulder-fired assault rifles (HK416) and light machine guns (Minimi), providing users with an unparalleled precision night-firing capability. XTRAIM was designed in close collaboration with users to guarantee that its ergonomic design and functionalities match their exact operational requirements.

The XTRAIM sight provides a decisive operational advantage in conventional as well as asymmetric combat situations.

The new sight weighs less than about 530 g (including battery) and is at least 70 mm shorter than alternative solutions. It is the dismounted combatant's perfect ally, reducing the burden on the soldier and improving their agility and endurance.

XTRAIM is a fully integrated sight for daylight operations, combining a reflex red-dot sight with thermal imaging technology to pick out targets from the background (decamouflage function). The high brightness of the reticle in the red-dot sight makes it possible to identify and engage targets even in bright sunlight.

For night-time operations, XTRAIM is compatible with all types of night vision goggles. In this configuration, the infrared images from the weapon sight are superimposed on the images from the light-intensification tubes in the goggles to deliver an unprecedented target decamouflage capability in low-light conditions.

This new weapon sight expands the dismounted soldier's view of the terrain and enables users to identify adversaries with a high degree of accuracy, improving mission effectiveness and enhancing user safety. The ergonomic design of the XTRAIM sight allows users to shoot with both eyes open, day or night, while remaining fully aware of their surroundings. The range capabilities of the new product are fully consistent with the effective ranges of the dismounted soldier's weapons.

The XTRAIM sight was designed at Thales's centre of excellence for dismounted soldier optronics in Saint-Héand, and is entirely assembled at this site in Eastern France. French companies have contributed to the success of this new solution, such as LYNRED as supplier of the infrared sensors.