Maintaining situational awareness is critical to mission success. The MCS system helps operators detect optical threats earlier, mitigate risk, and improve survivability by turning existing NVGs and IR aiming devices into a practical optical augmentation solution for the battlefield. Engineered as a modular solution, MCS leverages commonly carried IR lasers and NVGs to provide low size and weight approach to enemy observation and sniper detection in both day and night operations.

The MCS kit is a lightweight optical augmentation (OA) capability designed to help operators detect potential threats earlier and maintain battlefield advantage. The ability to identify threats as early as possible helps mitigate possible dangers and support mission success. Optical Augmentation enhances situational awareness by helping operators determine where threats may be positioned. The systems works by combining a scanning source, commonly carried tactical lasers, with an imaging source, fielded night vision goggles, to scan for and detect possible threat optics at distance. At certain wavelengths of light, optics such as binoculars, scouting scopes, cameras, riffle scopes, aiming scopes, etc. produce a level of reflectance that can be detected by imaging equipment sensitive to the wavelengths. This type of OA system can be effective even against optics using anti-glint and other obscuration techniques. To help close the operational gap today, Thales’ design approach leverages operators’ NVGs and weapon mounted/handheld pointing/aiming lasers in combination to create a modular OA system.

Technical Specifications

• Weight: less that 2.5 oz
• Technical Maturity
  • TRL 6-7: Based on fielded tech
• Night/low light performance beyond 1500 meters
• Day performance beyond 1000 meters

Key Features

• Modular low-SWAP design that can be carried in a pocket and quickly attached when needed
• Utilizes commonly fielded IR lasers and NVGs, minimizing additional equipment burden
• Beam-shaping technology transforms the IR beam into a line for efficient environmental scanning
• Detects retroreflection from observer glass including scopes, NVGS, and cameras
• NVGs detect IR retroreflection during night/low light operations
• NVG with MCS filters detect IR retroreflection during daylight
• Currently Designed for the IZLID IR pointer, with future potential for additional handheld or weapon-mounted laser models
• Based on technology developed by NRL and Cardinal Scientific, Inc. “NIRO”
• Incorporated patented technology in laser beam shaping and optical filtering
• Improves battlefield awareness by helping operators identify threats earlier and respond faster
• Detection of threat optics including sniper scopes, binoculars, cameras, and observation devices
• Enhances counter-sniper and counter-observation capability at tactically relevant ranges/li>
• Supports detection through foliage, netting, windows, honeycomb, and other visual obstructions
• Provides off-axis performance for operational flexibility
• Enables night, low-light, and daytime threat detection