Mepro Tigon Hybrid Sight – Choosing between red-dot & thermal sight no longer needed
An issue that concerns any operator, wherever they are, is choosing the best suitable gear to the operation, answering as many needs as possible while being operational, reliable, and maintainable. Operators know that the gear they are using has to be operational - to give the user the best solution to the needs, providing the tools to make the best out of the mission.
To get as much information from the field, be reliable and, not least important - affordable. The great debate between quality and budget is making the procurement officer's job a challenge- to find a product that gives the best value for money.
One of the issues is finding an aiming product for rifles to give the best solution to modern-day threats. One of the most common solutions is using a red-dot sight.
A red dot sight reflects an illuminated reticle to the user's field of view, indicating the impact point. These devices are easy to use, intuitive to aim with, and are widely spread. Its relatively low price makes it a common aiming solution. One of the essential points in choosing a red dot sight is the window size and transparency.
A wider window and a clear lens contribute the most critical information - the operation field itself. The larger the window is and the clearer the lens is, the operator will better understand what is happening on the other side of the optic.
Another important feature is the reticle shape itself - as an actual red dot is the most common reticle for these products, nowadays "smarter" reticles are offered. A bullseye reticle gives the operator the ability to aim quickly and accurately with the center dot, just like a simple red dot, but also allows a quicker target engagement in very close encounters while using the bigger ring as an aiming reference.
In addition, a smartly built bullseye reticle can give the operator also reference points for offset aiming. Offset aiming is relevant for larger distances shooting and extremely close distances.
The simplicity and efficiency of the red-dots are not always enough, as modern threats are moving deeper and deeper into more complex environments. Militaries, Law enforcement agencies, and counter-terrorism units, all face a deviation of their battlefield into dense, highly populated areas. In addition, the missions themselves are moving deeper into the night, low-light and dark situations.
For these cases, a simple red dot might not be enough as the operators need a boost in their capabilities and the ability to gain information from the surrounding.
Thermal sights use infrared energy to detect objects. All objects emit a certain amount of black-body radiation, which is a function of the object's temperature. Generally, the higher the temperature is, the higher amount of radiation is emitting from the object; thus, thermal devices detect the heat of the objects in their field of view, not relying on any visible light.
Therefore, thermal technology is considered the best solution for detecting an object in complete darkness, through fog, smoke, and heavy rain. It can detect objects in complicated terrains such as dense vegetation (forests), urban scenarios, and through most camouflage covers.
Thermal devices rely on unique components called "thermal core." These components are responsible for gathering the infrared radiation collected by the lens, analyzing the differences in radiation from different points in the field of view, and presenting the information on a screen, coloring the picture on a chromatic scale representing different heat levels.
The sensitivity of these cores gets to as high as differentiating temperatures of less than 50 mK. The fact that the picture is digital gives a whole new set of advantages.
A digital picture can be manipulated; a reticle can be added almost without limitations. The picture can be transferred to external devices, allowing sharing the image with other team members and commanders and for debriefing after the action. Digital zoom can be added to enable more accurate aiming, including smarter features as PIP (picture in picture) mode that zooms in to a specific point in the FOV.
Despite all the advantages of the thermal technology, it has some limitations - since the device "ignores" any visible light, the user might not be able to understand the lighting situation of the action. It might prevent understanding the position and effect of different light sources, such as street lights, vehicle highlights, etc.
In addition, the user has no actual ability to identify faces or other objects. Moreover, infrared radiation does not penetrate a solid object, even if it's transparent. Therefore, object behind windows and other transparent obstacles cannot be detected.
Lastly, thermal sights, especially ones that meet harsh conditions and military standards, are relatively costly. That makes these devices available to only a small portion of operatives.
So what is better? A red-dot or thermal sight? Well, why not both?
Meprolight's Mepro Tigon is a Hybrid sight incorporating a red dot sight with an overlayed thermal picture, thus answering both needs in one compact device.
The Mepro Tigon has a wide, clear window, allowing an effective wide field of view for "traditional" red-dot use. Dot and Bullseye reticles are available with 12 brightness levels for any lighting scenario. In addition, a light sensor can automatically adjust the reticle brightness level.
The 17µ core gives a superior thermal picture with a detection range of about 200m. The device provides 1x and 2x magnifications, with 4 types of reticles (or no reticle at all).
The device is operated by only 2 commercially available AA batteries, providing about 7 hours of operation time to the thermal channel or 3000 hours for the red dot. The device can be powered by external power and has video-out capabilities.
Mepro Tigon is compatible with a magnifier allowing extended operation range. The zeroing mechanism allows accurate zeroing of both channels.
These capabilities are packed in a compact, lightweight case. Mepro Tigon complies with MIL-STD-810 standards and provides a reliable, long-lasting, powerful sight for various applications. The two-hybrid devices give the operator complete operational agility, versatility and flexibility, in a small-sized product, saving space and weight on the weapon.
Meprolight, an SK Group member founded by Mr. Samy Katsav, offers all these features while remaining at a very competitive price, even related to other mil-std thermal sights, which creates a great value for money, and the ability to equip many users with the Mepro Tigon. Doing so will increase the skills and capabilities of the operational force, helping them conquer the mission.
For more information - go to the Meprolight website on www.meprolight.com.
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