AMU Cyber & AI Law Enforcement Public Safety

SHOT Show 2018 Unveils New Advances in Weapons Technology

By James Lint, Faculty Member, School of Business, American Military University

The annual SHOT Show, a great opportunity to see new weapons equipment and technology, ended in Las Vegas last week. Among the hosts was the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), whose members include professionals involved with shooting sports, hunting and law enforcement industries.

[Related: SHOT Show 2018 Opens with Spotlight on Education]

Trijicon Improves Red Dot Gunsights

Manufacturer Trijicon, of Wixom, Michigan, has long been a supplier of Advanced Combat Optical Gunsights (ACOGs). Clients include the Marine Corps, Army, Special Operations Forces, the U.S. government, state and local law enforcement agencies, and many of America’s allies.

Trijicon’s red dot sighting technology continues to improve with the introduction of the Trijicon Ruggedized Miniature Reflex Type 2 (RMR®). The “new electronics design bolsters performance and extends the functionality of the red dot weapon sight,” according to the company’s news release.

Trijicon says, “The updated electronics and battery contacts increase reliability under the harshest use and stiffest recoil. A Button Lock Out Mode prevents accidental adjustments to the user’s preferred brightness.” A battery conservation mode extends battery life and adjusts the aiming dot to ambient lighting conditions.

The lithium battery lasts up to two years in the LED version. In the adjustable LED model at mid-setting, the battery will last up to four years.

TrackingPoint Offers Precision-Guided Firearms

Pflugerville, Texas-based TrackingPoint is a weapons company that likes to use the term “precision-guided firearms (PGFs).”

The TrackingPoint website describes its PGF as “a comprehensive, purpose-built weapon system that leverages the same tracking and fire-control technology found in advanced fighter jets.”

According to the company, the “TrackingPoint PGF system is the first and only rifle optics system to offer the advanced technology that guides the release of ordnance. Known as TriggerLink, this fire control system virtually eliminates human error caused by misaiming, mistiming and central nervous system jitters.”

“Put the crosshairs on your target, squeeze the trigger half way and the TrackingPoint system locks on, tagging your target,” the company explains. “The system recognizes the object you want to shoot, as well as the point of impact you’ve tagged. Sensors are continuously measuring variables that affect the shot. As soon as you lock on, the onboard computer uses those measurements to calculate the firearm’s precise point of impact and then snaps the crosshairs to it.”

“To fire, fully squeeze and hold the trigger, and realign your crosshairs with the tag on your target. If your alignment isn’t perfect, the trigger guiding mechanism prevents the launch of a round. However, the moment your tag intersects with the point of impact, the solenoid releases the trigger, launching a perfect shot.”

TrackingPoint precision-guided firearms provide the opportunity to prevent future collateral damage and injury to civilians in both combat and SWAT tactical actions. This amazing technology can revolutionize the probability of safe operations, even in an area with civilians and non-combatants. Operations that have been denied authorization in the past will be greenlighted in the future.

Trigger Point Technology Controls a Weapon’s Infrared Light and Red Dot Laser

Current hostage rescue tactics mandate entering a building with the weapon’s safety off and the attacker’s trigger finger on the trigger. Trigger Point Technology integrates its Trigger Touch Activation to control the weapon’s infrared light and a red dot laser. This technology results a much faster, lifesaving shot to rescue hostages.

A button and a second device next to the trigger activate the light and laser simultaneously. This one-click system can be a lifesaver when a hostile shooter is in close quarters. This system can instantaneously reveal the enemy and the bullet’s impact point.

The Value of Reviewing SHOT Show Technology

Most newly released technology is expensive to manufacture and purchase. In today’s world, Marines in boot camp shoot on the rifle qualification range using ACOG technology.

Will future Marines use precision-guided firearms in boot camp? Will the most difficult part of rifle qualification be remembering how to power up the computer or the password?

Older Marines had only iron sites to utilize. Science fiction dreams have evolved into reality.

About the Author: James R. Lint recently retired as the (GG-15) civilian director for intelligence and security, G2, U.S. Army Communications Electronics Command. He is an adjunct professor at AMU. He is also a senior editor for InCyberDefense and a contributor to In Homeland Security, both AMU-sponsored websites. James has been involved in cyberespionage events from just after the turn of the century in Korea supporting 1st Signal Brigade to the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis as the first government cyber intelligence analyst. He has 38 years of experience in military intelligence with the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army, government contracting and civil service.

Additionally, James started the Lint Center for National Security Studies, a nonprofit charity that recently awarded its 49th scholarship for national security students and professionals. James was also elected as the 2015 national vice president for the Military Intelligence Corps Association. He has also served in the Department of Energy’s S&S Security Office after his active military career in the Marine Corps for seven years and 14 years in the Army. His military assignments include South Korea, Germany and Cuba, in addition to numerous CONUS locations. In 2017, he was appointed to the position of Adjutant for The American Legion, China Post 1. James has authored a book published in 2013, “Leadership and Management Lessons Learned,” a book published in 2016 “8 Eyes on Korea, A Travel Perspective of Seoul, Korea,” and a new book in 2017 Secrets to Getting a Federal Government Job.”

Leischen Kranick is a Managing Editor at AMU Edge. She has 15 years of experience writing articles and producing podcasts on topics relevant to law enforcement, fire services, emergency management, private security, and national security.

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