Case Study
Rheinmetall Soldier Electronics
Find out about Rheinmetall’s solutions and their key features
Background Situation
Delivery of Tactical Overmatch
Soldiers and armed police officers need to be able to deliver tactical overmatch. They need to be able to detect, recognise, identify and engage a target quickly and accurately.
They must be able to deliver tactical overmatch in all light conditions; at night, underground, in unlit buildings, in dense forests.
They need to remain agile, unencumbered by excessive amounts of equipment or ammunition.
Weight generates a vicious circle:
DEFINING THE PROBLEM
"Owning the Darkness"
Soldiers and armed police officers need to “own the darkness.”
This requires a combination of passive and active sensors that work in harmony. Some situations will require white light but other situations will demand a more covert approach.
There may be cases of total darkness where there is not enough ambient light for night vision devices to work, or situations where the resolution of a thermal image is not good enough to engage a target.
Sharpshooters and snipers need the ability to accurately calculate the range to the target. An error in range calculation can lead to a bullet drop of over a metre at ranges beyond 400m. They also need to be able to rapidly assimilate multiple data sets – range, wind speed, atmospheric pressure, bullet grain, etc and rapidly convert those into a firing solution in time to engage the target.
Grenade launchers provide infantry sections with the ability to engage targets behind cover and in buildings. Grenade launchers can be used to deliver high explosive and smoke grenades in warfighting situations. They can also be used to deliver “flash bangs” in support of police operations. However, as grenade launchers are low velocity weapons, the impact of range is of critical importance, especially when trying to deliver a grenade through a window.
THE SOLUTION
Torches, Lasers and Fire Control Systems
Rheinmetall Soldier Electronics (RSE) manufactures a variety of torches, lasers and fire control systems.
These devices are designed to:
- improve situational awareness
- speed up target acquisition and engagement.
- be customised with individual shapes so that each member of a team can have a different shaped laser spot.
Rheinmetall Soldier Electronics solutions
Vario Ray
The Rheinmetall Vario Ray (in service with the British Armed Forces as the LLM Mk 3) has three powerful lasers (2 infra-red and 1 visible) in a fully integrated factory aligned laser block. As all 3 lasers are factory aligned, it is only necessary to “zero” one laser to the rifle and all are simultaneously adjusted.
The Vario Ray also has an integrated white light torch. The white light torch can be set to strobe to distract opponents for example during a room clearance task.
The laser output can be reduced for eye safe training through the use of smart colour coded trigger cables.
Data sheet: VarioRay
TAC-Ray Ballistic
The TAC-Ray Ballistic is an enhancement of the Vario-Ray.
In addition to the powerful variable infrared illuminator and the two laser target markers (infrared and visible) the TAC-Ray Ballistic includes a tactical laser range finder (LRF) in a world-class compact and light-weight package.
The LRF measures precisely to where the laser target markers point due to factory laser block alignment.
The LRF can achieve an accurate measurement out to 2,500m. The TAC-Ray Ballistic, in addition to its laser range finding and target marking capabilities, also includes a fast and accurate Ballistic Computer.
This allows the marksman to adjust their point of aim, not just for range but also for meteorological factors, angle, etc. The dimmable OLED display not only shows the range to target, but also the necessary click adjustments for the rifle scope to be right on target on the first shot.
The data can optionally be sent to third party devices such as thermal imaging and aiming products. The TAC-Ray ballistic can be linked to an anemometer. The TAC-Ray Ballistic can store the ballistic profile of multiple rounds of ammunition including 7.62mm, 0.338” and 0.5”.
Data sheet: TAC-Ray Ballistic
Laser Light Module Pistol
The Laser Light Module Pistol (LLM-Pl) is a compact and lightweight module specifically designed for pistols.
For target illumination an IR near field illuminator and a 180 lumen white light provides illumination for Close Quarter Battle (CQB) situations in low or zero light conditions eg tunnels, caves, urban operations, etc. It is also fitted with an aiming laser, available in IR or visible red dot.
The white light can be set to strobe to enable the operator to distract the target.
Data sheet: Laser Light Module Pistol
