Belgium's FN Herstal has unveiled two advanced soldier-worn precision products – the FN Moving Red Dot Fire Control Unit (FCU) and the FN Black Box.
The FN Moving Red Dot FCU is specifically designed to provide tube-launched grenades with accurate range estimation for successful target engagement.
The FN FCU weighs 560g without batteries and features a laser range finder to calculate the distance between the shooter and the target, a clinometer to measure the difference in elevation and a ballistic computer to calculate the required angle of launch.
The 155mm-long, 87mm-wide and 76mm-high unit consists of a moving red dot sight to provide the exact aiming point. Any rifle or grenade launcher equipped with FN FCU allows the shooters to significantly increase the effectiveness of the weapon.
FN Herstal has also unveiled the FN Black Box, a system designed to serve as a weapon manager for efficient operations and logistics maintenance.
The Black Box counts shots, measures burst rates and burst lengths, detects reasons for firing blockages and records firing information to develop corrective maintenance, significantly improving the weapon's reliability and availability.
The FN Black Box can be fitted to any weapon type and is capable of transferring critical data to the chain of command in the battlefield. It features a non-replaceable battery that can record 100,000 rounds with a service life of ten years.
When paired up with a global positioning system the Black Box uses a soldier's communication equipment to transmit the identification and localisation data.
The innovative products will be demonstrated at Milipol 2009, Paris which runs from 17 to 20 November 2009.
