The detailed design of the Target Acquisition/Fire Control (TA/FC) system for the XM29 combat rifle was completed in mid-2003, not long after the system was first presented to the SPIE technical community at the 2003 AeroSense Conference. The system which was described at that time successfully underwent its Critical Design Review. Prototypes were built and tested for the 25-μm pixel pitch uncooled thermal imager, laser rangefinder, display, processor/ballistic computer, environmental sensors and digital compass. Weighing less than 2.6 lbs, the highly integrated package meets both its weight requirement and a projected run time of over 15 hours on a single rechargeable battery, while performing its required mission. In addition the laser rangefinder is expected to operate at twice its required range. This paper provides an update on the final design of the fire control system, the development status and the XM29 program itself.

Date Published: 30 August 2004
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 5406, Infrared Technology and Applications XXX, (30 August 2004); doi: 10.1117/12.540596

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 5406:
Infrared Technology and Applications XXX
Bjorn F. Andresen; Gabor F. Fulop, Editor(s)