British soldiers are to receive high-tech new rifle sights,
helping them to better track and shoot the enemy in dark
conditions, under a new contract announced by the MOD today.
The new contract will supply up to 10,000 high performance rifle
sights and is a jobs boost for North Wales, sustaining 650 jobs
in St Asaph, Denbighshire.
This supports the Government's economic growth mission and
underlines defence's contribution to growth across the UK.
The TALON Fused Weapon Sight is manufactured by defence company
Qioptiq and is the most advanced sight the British Army will have
used.
The sight helps with war fighting at night, as it uses the latest
optical technology to detect enemy soldiers better in low light.
The sight also has an advanced ability to recognise adversaries
through body heat, known as thermal recognition.
The TALON sight will also provide soldiers with the ability to
more accurately detect enemy targets from an increased distance
up to 1 kilometre, including in the dark. They will fit
seamlessly onto the Army's SA80 A3 and HUNTER rifles.
Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry said:
“Rolling out this high-tech rifle sight shows how we're investing
in new tech for our soldiers to take the fight to our
adversaries.
“The rifle night sights are tried and tested, proving highly
effective to keep British soldiers protected in difficult
environments.
“The deal is also a great jobs boost for Wales, with £120 million
invested and 650 jobs sustained in the area.”
The £120m contract continues procurement of the TALON sight,
under a seven-year Framework Agreement with Qioptiq.
While some soldiers are already using the sight in tests, the
first of the new sights is expected to be in use more widely
across the Army next year (2025).
The Enhanced Light Force Battalion, 2 Royal YORKS based in
Chester, have been tasked since 2021 with trialling the
development of the cutting-edge rifle night sight systems.
British soldiers got firsthand experience with the advanced rifle
capability and provided glowing feedback.
Brigadier Nick Serle, Head Military Capability Delivery
(MCD) in the British Army Headquarters Programmes
Directorate said:
“This contract results from true collaboration between the user
community, our trials and development teams, Dstl, DE&S and
Qioptiq. We expect the sight to continue to develop and remain
truly world-leading. It is testament to the power of
collaboration. This is the Land Industrial Strategy in action, a
collaborative and iterative journey that started in 2016.”
Critical in-service support for the sights will be managed
through the Surveillance and Target Acquisition support contract
delivered by Excelitas, which owns Qioptiq.
, Managing Director of
Excelitas, said:
“We're delighted that the British Army and DE&S continue to
recognise the enhanced fighting capabilities of our TALON fused
weapon sight delivers.
“We look forward to delivering this world-leading system for the
end users for many years to come, supported by our 650 skilled
employees at our facility in North Wales.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
· Qioptiq Ltd are based in
North Wales, owned by Excelitas.
· Corporal Brandon
Allan, Enhanced Light Force Battalion,
said:
“The ARILLS is a new sight system for the SA80 A3 which fits to
the Picatinny rail, but you can also use it as a slung sight
system. The thermal imaging is a lot clearer and more accurate,
and you can see and actively engage targets to a greater range
than previous systems, also outlining positions for you as halos.
That means it's a lot more effective and a further improvement of
a soldier's capability.”
“You can tune the ARILLS to meet your individual needs, to locate
and target the enemy from much further away. It gives the sense
of being one step ahead of everyone else.”
