The Consumer Electronics Show, one of Las Vegas’ biggest conventions, is happening this week. At 140,000 attendees, CES is twice the size of the SHOT Show. For all the myriad gadgets and electronic toys being shown at CES, I thought this was one interesting bit of technology with future law enforcement potential.
TrackingPoint, Inc. builds precision rifles in Austin, TX. Their latest advance is the patent-pending Intelligent Digital Tracking Scope, a kind of Heads-Up Display for a rifle. This advanced scope calculates a firing solution for the shooter, as it takes into account wind speed and direction, humidity, ballistic drop, parallax, incline and cant of the weapon, and other factors. Once the target is designated, the ballistics calculator and tracking engine in the scope prepare the firing solution and adjust the reticle accordingly.
When the rifleman places the reticle on the properly designated targeting area, the trigger can be depressed for a precision guided shot. It reminiscent of the fire-and-forget missile technology, without the magic bullet.
Streaming real-time Wi-Fi images can be sent from the rifle scope to an iPad or iPhone. This would have great usefulness for intelligence gathering, a sniper’s predominant function. Commanders back at the CP and team leaders in the field would be able to see what the snipers are seeing.
TrackingPoint will be introducing rifles this month (hopefully at SHOT). The XS1 will be chambered in .338 Lapua and the XS2 and XS3 reportedly will be in .300 WinMag.
At $15,000 to $20,000 (estimated), this technology won’t be cheap, but does deliver some awesome new potential in both its application of lethal force and in gathering information.
Randall
