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In December 2004 AIM started the series production of the HuntIR long range thermal weapon sight. The sight is
fielded in the Germany Future Infantryman (IdZ) basic system and since that time in continuous service in various out
of area missions with German participation. For very long identification ranges >1500m cooled technology still
outperforms uncooled sights, even with respect to smaller size and lower weight because the typical F/1 design of
uncooled systems overcompensates cooler weight for focal length >175mm. The HuntIR sight is therefore based on a
cooled MWIR detection module for long range battlefield surveillance and target engagement. The device specifically
is a perfect match to state of the art small arms like 0.50 cal sniper rifles or crew served weapons like the 40mm high
velocity grenade machine gun (GMG) which provide engagement ranges >1500m and need an adequate sight
performance beyond that. A recent modification of HuntIR was done to provide a wider field of view for improved
situation awareness in urban operations and specifically to allow the engagement of the 40mm GMG in ranges between
250-1200m. The qualification tests of the sight by the German infantry were successfully completed mid 2006.
To match the demand of the follow-up program IdZ-ES additional components have to be integrated. Most important
are a laser range finder (LRF), 3 axis digital magnetic compass (DMC) and a wireless data link. LRF and DMC together
with a highly sophisticated fire control computer provide improved first round hit probability, the DMC additionally
improves the fire control in any case of steep trajectories or for pronounced ballistic trajectories to avoid any need to
precisely level the GMG. This new sight is done under the brand name RangIR. An important additional feature is the
interface for air burst ammunition (ABM). The optical distance is measured by the LRF, the fire control computer
accurately evaluates the trajectory under the given angle, muzzle velocity, temperature and range conditions to define
the time-of-flight. This fully integrated IR fire control system is available mid 2007. The development phase of the IdZES
program is under contract, series deliveries expected in 2009. The RangIR will see some specific modifications for
the link and a man machine interface to control the whole IdZ-ES system components ergonomically from the weapon
with optimized power supply concepts to minimize the number of batteries, chargers etc.
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