Australia Designs Rifle Sight to “Shoot Around Corners”

[Y W F]

Australia Designs Rifle Sight to “Shoot Around Corners”

More International Defense News and Information:
http://www.defencenew.info

Australian scientists have designed a rifle sight that will effectively allow its troops to shoot around corners, and it is already attracting international interest, Defence Minister Robert Hill said May 18.

Hill said the sight, which would soon be issued to Australian troops in Iraq, uses a system of mirrors similar in concept to a periscope.

The sight, designed by the country’s Defence Science Technology Organisation, allows a soldier to line up a target in the absence of a direct line of sight.

The viewing device will be attached on top of the existing rifle sight so that soldiers can engage targets from a position of cover.

Hill told reporters in Perth he believes it is the first device of its type in the world.

“It enables the soldiers to, in effect, fire around the corner without exposing their head or upper torso and therefore they can go about their business more safely,” he said.

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[Franco Lolan]

picture? more info?

[Bill]

Great, nothing like encouraging even more spray and pray than already goes on now.

WTF, over?

[ak-dave]

Did not the Germans have a sighting system for their curved bullet guide around the corner attachment? Can’t even begin to remember the name for it.

The Army was playing with the remote sighting digital cameras mounted on M4’s a couple years back, part of the Land Warrior System.

Now I have to searching for the answers.

[highsea]

"Corner-shot"

http://www.army-technology.com/contr...s/corner_shot/

[Bill]

That has got to be the dumbest contraption i've ever seen.

And i mean ever.

[highsea]

ROFL, I knew you'd love it snipe...

How long till you stopped laughing and could type again?

[ak-dave]

It is a attachment for a pistol. The picture looks weird because of the attached suppressor.

Somebody thinks it fills a need. :)

[Ziska]

What's so dumb about it? It's not like the Australian army trains guys to spray and pray, especially the SAS troopers who will be using the technology. They used periscope rifles in the trenches, to good effect. Why not this?

It's most likely too expensive to issue to regular troops, so only the diggers with the best training will use them... just like our Ninox NFE.

[highsea]

The US has developed a prism sight that does the same thing. It's called the MTC Parascope. Mounts on a 1913P rail.

[Bill]

What's so dumb about it is that what you have there is a very expensive and bulky pistol carrier. Pistols have no place in combat except as an absolute last ditch defensive weapon. Is the soldier going to leave behind his rifle to use that Gizmo?

The reason that periscopes were used in WWI was because snipers were both A) very good, and B) very prevalant on the battlefield. That is not the case with the vast majority of prospective enemies today(they're prevalant, but frankly...they SUCK high wind).

Further, periscope sighting systems have all kinds of drawbacks, not the least of which is added weight for the trooper to carry(meaning he's carrying less ammo, or left some other piece of his TA-50 gear behind to make room for it- this system is even more bulky and cumbersome than the WWI periscope systems were to boot).

Q: What's the most common weapon the enemy uses today?
A: AKs(any of which can be fitted with a 40mm GL), RPKs, and RPGs.

You think that contraption will protect you from RPG fire? Well? And for that matter, 7.62x39 OR 5.45x39 will easily penetrate most structures let alone 7.62x51 or 7.62x54R.

There is a difference between cover and concealment that most people for whatever reason seem unable to grasp. The guy in the picture above is in a position of concealment, NOT in a position of cover, which renders the intended purpose of the 'round the corner' shooter quite moot.

It's a waste of resources, and for a military as tiny as Australias, it's a BLATANT waste of extremely limited resources.

[Bill]

"Somebody thinks it fills a need."

Somebody thought that Metal Storm fills a need too...it don't mean they're right. ;)

The round the corner shooter is about the dumbest thing i've ever seen. If it had the ability to allow you to shoot accurately over the lip of a foxhole(ala a periscope) while you remained behind cover i could see it....but this system does not do that, and regardless, it's as big as a rifle, thereby preventing any soldier unlucky enough to be issued that stupid thing from being able to carry a real rifle.

[Ziska]

Hey! Aussies designes Metal Storm too!

I see your point though. I don't know why we spend money on some of this stuff. It looks good, and makes us feel like world leaders in weapons technology.

[sniperdude411]

Here's a more useful tool if you're pinned-down behind a wall: a mirror.
In WWII, a few german soldiers in urban combat were issued with barrels that were bent 90 degrees to allow them to shoot around corners. They'd only last about 200 rounds or so, and were highly inaccurate.

[Speedy]

Hey! Aussies designes Metal Storm too!

I see your point though. I don't know why we spend money on some of this stuff. It looks good, and makes us feel like world leaders in weapons technology.

It's cheaper than a squadron of F-35's.