The US Army has awarded Leonardo DRS a $117-million contract for the continued production of its next-generation thermal weapon sights.
This is the third Family of Weapon Sights – Individual (FWS-I) order in as many years, following contracts worth $579 million and $134 million in 2022 and 2023.
The FWS-I is a clip-on infrared weapon sight that provides rapid target acquisition capabilities to users day or night and in smoke or fog, increasing their survivability and efficacy on the battlefield without the use of active lasers.
“This cutting-edge technology ensures soldiers will have the most advanced weapon sight systems on the battlefield today,” senior vice president and general manager of DRS’ Electro-Optical Infrared Systems business Jerry Hathaway said.
“We are proud the US Army recognizes us as a trusted partner to continue to deliver this vital technology to our warfighters.”
Features
The night vision sight comes with 1x to 3x magnification and features a rugged and modular design compatible with a wide variety of weapons.
It “connects wirelessly to helmet-mounted vision systems including the enhanced night vision goggle binoculars and the next-gen integrated visual augmentation system,” according to Leonardo DRS.
The FWS-I leverages DRS’ uncooled infrared (IR) thermal imaging technology, employing a proprietary high sensitivity vanadium oxide focal plane array (IR FPA).
“The IR FPA requires no visible light to operate and will not shut down or create glare when exposed to direct light,” Leonardo explained.
“The FWS-I operates silently and emits minimal heat and radio frequency energy, ideal for undetected reconnaissance.”