Sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same.
I ran across a perfect example of that over at Soldier Systems blog which features a neat little post on an updated version of the trench periscope.
With all these walled compounds and impromtu urban sniper postions, the US Tactical Supply Scout Sniper Periscope Kit is a back to the future update of the Dough Boy sharpshooter’s best friend.
U.S. Tactical Supply offers the Scout Sniper Periscope Kit (NSN 1240–01-571‑5004). The kit is comprised of am anodized aluminum tripod mount handle with 1/4 20 threads, Desert Camo SwatScope 3M Camoclad Wrap Kit, aluminum hard case, belt hook, AN/PVS-14 Adapter, flashlight attachment, and a soft sling case. Its everything you need to put the periscope immediately into action and can be used for a variety of observation applications in addition to use by a Sniper section.
Sometimes it’s not about UAVs, thermal imagers and ground bots…sometimes it’s just a simple matter of refraction, defraction and a sneak peek above the roof line to zero in on the bad guys.
Maybe US tactical has an adaptor kit to attach the periscope to a M110 or M40 rifle…?
(Gouge: SS)
– Christian
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Pretty kewl but the price is a little on the ouch side. Wireless VGA camera’s and remote monitoring stations are cheaper than this thing and you don’t have to squint into it all day.
USTacticalSupply
“Your Price: $568.00″… Are you kidding?
“RSTacticalGear” – (I’ve never bought from this site, but appears to be sim. & cheaper)
http://www.rstacticalgear.com/pd_concealment_periscope.cfm
“Your Price: $149.95″
With a monocular, fishing rod, broken mirror, balsa wood, and some duct tape. Macgyver could have fought off a Soviet Rifle Regiment & prevented World War III.
MCgyver was so good that they put him in charge of all the Stargate program.
Sorry,I couldn’t resist post that.
Great idea, great concept. But the price? Can we say gouging?
That seems an awfully steep price for something so simple.
Hello,
I am sorry to say, but you picture of ANZAC troops in Gallipoli, firing at the turks. I have seen these periscope sights at the Australian War Memorial, in Canberra.We were using these long before you guys turned up…!
Mike Little
interesting how all think the same.
for $568.00 i want this thing made from gold plated platinum with laser-dazzle-proved diamond glass and a bottle good rum!
seriously, there you see how your tax dollars are spent.
(but hey, we just print more money and so – as a benefit – the debt we leave for the future may just be less worth! yeehaw!)
Yes…”Shades of yesteryear” in another direction….I’m old enough to remember “The $500 Toilet Seats”…Or was it $5000 ???….Also…All branches of the armed forces have their own cooks and facilities….How come Branch of Haliburton has contract for GI meals at $26 a crack ????…
in Canberra.We were using these long before you guys turned up…!–
napoleon wars in europe anyone?
Wats Halliburton serving for dinner these days at $26 a pop? Prime rib? surf&turf? Veal saltimbocca? Thank YOU President Cheney!!! LMAO!!!
“Pretty kewl but the price is a little on the ouch side. Wireless VGA camera’s and remote monitoring stations are cheaper than this thing and you don’t have to squint into it all day.”
Hey Cenobyte, I know rifle scopes used by spec-ops that can be driven over by a Humvee and work just fine afterward (I’ve witnessed the demo). You might design a lipstick camera on a stick with a video monitor that rugged, but the price would jump a heck of a lot compared to what you an buy at Wally World.
Also, the periscope doesn’t need batteries. Humped all your gear and batteries in the field?…We just keep adding electronics to the troops packs and more batteries so the load out has less ammo, water or food. This is a trend for more electronics nowadays that the troops have to deal with. Sounds like a tradeoff you’d like to make but not one that a scout or sniper would choose unless there’s some SIGNIFICANT capability of the electronic system over the simple mechanical system.
If you could feed your batteries a little diesel now and then or use some organic matter in a PEM or SO fuell cell…well that’s unobtanium right now…maybe someday.
u can buy one on ebay for about 16 bucks
With a price tag of $568.00, one certainly takes comfort in the fact that US Tactical Supply isn’t charging sales tax.
It is also to be hoped that the individual troop or sniper team doesn’t have to buy their own, even though their pay is a princely sum compared to when I was a young soldier (1968).
I assume that, there being an “NSN”(National Stock Number), this item might be found in some government inventory for “issue” to the end-user.
Should this be the case then every nut, bolt, tube, mirror, etc., ad infinitum, including the hard-case and the soft-case, must be manufactured to government specs. That means: 1.) someone has to write up the spec; 2.) someone has to draw up blueprint to the spec; 3.) the contract must be bid out; 4.) the winning contractor must then “tool up” to make the part(s) to meet the spec, and; 5.) each part must be inspected ump-teen times along the way to make sure specs are preserved (did I leave anything out?). Hell, boys, this doo-dad could be worth half the price and cost more than twice; and, God forbid we take anything off the shelf at a quarter the price.
I recall seeing once a photograph of a WW I tyrench sniper rifle. It looked like a 1903 Springfield with the stock hinged just below the barrel/receiver juncture so the butt stock could be lowered. It had a periscoped telescopic sight so the shooter could fire over the top of the trench without exposing himself.
Are they fairly easy to transport, assemble, perform PMCS AND QUIET ? Are they optically accurate at effective distances for recon FAC’s as well as sniper teams ? Any unit that requires batteries is a waste of time in those Afghan mountains. It HAS to be lightweight, breaks down into a comfortable and balanced carrying bag or case, and DURABLE.
Old school optics with high tech alloy material
sounds like the answer here.