Technology advances are offering opportunities for enhancing the precision and first round hit capability of the sniper.
With this objective the French Army’s Battle-Lab Terre (BLT) – Ground Forces Battle Lab acquired and initiated testing of the FH Elity® in early 2022. BLT is an organization within the Army created with the objective of facilitating innovation within the force.
Developed independently by FN, the Elity is a Weapon Mounted Ballistic Calculator that at 400 grams can be fit onto any individual weapon including machine guns or sniper team weapons of any caliber or onto spotting scopes. It incorporates a Noptel Oy designed laser range finder, a laser aimer, 3 mrad to 90 mrad laser designator and a ballistic solution calculator with aeroballistic profiler from ApexO (AFS®).
The ApexO provides relevant and accurate ballistic corrections, wind speed and direction through its unique wind clock. It also includes environmental sensors to measure temperature, pressure, and humidity as well as state and movement sensors for cant, inclination, and a digital compass.
The latest generation laser range finder can measure a human-size targets at distances of up to 1,750m. The Elity then displays the exact aiming solution on a state-of-the-art OLED display screen.
The combination increases first round probability of hit at long ranges. The system also can incorporate Bluetooth technology to connect the FN Elity® to an Android system or any other accessories.
Elity systems were evaluated by French unit snipers and designated marksmen over a period of months. According to a BLT spokesperson “operational shooters were able to successfully test and evaluate the ballistic calculator on various weapon platforms: 12.7mm rifles and 7.62mm sniper/precision rifles (PGM and FN SCAR®-H PR).
Most importantly, it demonstrated how the FN Herstal ballistic calculator considerably improves the shooter’s performance, reduces “detection-neutralization” time by 40% and improves shooting accuracy by 25%. It also lightens the equipment carried by snipers by 6 kilos (13.2 lbs) by replacing other separate items.”
by Stephen W. Miller
