Defense Department Rep Amazed After 1 Shot with New Weapon Upgrade: 'Be Expecting an Order from Us'
A new weapon sight soon could make its way to the U.S. armed forces, and a Department of Defense representative’s reaction to the technology means it could be a game-changer for troops.
The official was introduced to the sight during SHOT Show, a firearms convention in January that lured industry innovators, enthusiasts and government officials from around the world.
The convention, held in Las Vegas, reportedly is where the DOD representative first met with Matbock, the Virginia Beach company behind the design.
According to The Virginian-Pilot, Matbock founders Sean Matson and Zach Steinbock were working at the convention when they met a program manager from the Department of Defense’s Unified Combatant Command.
The two founders, both former Navy SEALs, had a unique weapon sight that had been in development for years.
The Acquire Read Deploy Sight, as the weapon upgrade is known, is designed to fit modern grenade launchers such as the MK19 or M320.
When it is fed information about the weapons system and ammunition, the sight will display the angle and distance the round will travel. For the traditionally difficult-to-aim-precisely explosive rounds, the ARD Sight offers users a better alternative to analog leaf sights.
While at the range, the DOD representative was impressed with the gear’s performance, according to The Virginian-Pilot.
After entering information into the sight, the representative fired a single shot at a faraway target.
“Sure enough, that round hit dead center of the tank target,” Matson, Matbock’s CEO, told the newspaper. “Basically, [he] immediately handed … back the gun and said, ‘Yep. Be expecting an order from us.'”
Take a look at the Acquire Read Deploy Sight, seen in a Matbock Facebook post, below.
Posted by Matbock on Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Matbock has been awarded a whopping $757,180 contract by the Department of Defense for the sight, according to The Virginian-Pilot.
Weapons that fire 40 mm grenades, which it appears this sight will be fitted to, already give troops an edge in combat.
The explosives let soldiers put punishing fire on a target and allow them to keep up the pressure even if the enemy is behind cover. This is especially true of the MK19, a belt-fed automatic grenade launcher.
Matson told The Virginian-Pilot that the sight’s performance also impressed law enforcement officials, who could use the upgrade on tear-gas launchers and other less-than-lethal systems.
Although the Acquire Read Deploy Sight has yet to see real field use, positive early impressions mean it could be a powerful upgrade for troops armed with the device.
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