FAMILY OF WEAPON SIGHTS (FWS)

The Family of Weapon Sights (FWS) program is a significant initiative under the Army's Soldier Lethality Modernization priority. It includes three variants: FWS-Individual (FWS-I), FWS-Crew Served (FWS-CS), and FWS-Sniper (FWS-S). The main goal of the FWS program is to enhance soldiers' combat effectiveness by providing advanced targeting and surveillance capabilities in various operational conditions, such as day/night, low-light, and adverse weather. This involves integrating cutting-edge thermal and low-light sensors into weapon sights that can function both in-line with day optics or as standalone units.

The FWS-I variant aims to equip individual soldiers with weapon-mounted thermal sensors, enabling rapid and accurate firing from any position while minimizing exposure to enemy fire. This is accomplished by wirelessly transmitting a zeroed weapon aimpoint to the soldier's Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular (ENVG-B) or Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS). The objective is to improve situational awareness and lethality for close combat soldiers, aligning with broader initiatives like the Next Generation Squad Weapons.

For crew-served weapons, the FWS-CS variant builds on the success of FWS-I by providing primary sighting systems for mounted platforms such as the MK19, M240B, and M2 within Brigade Combat Teams. It integrates High Definition Thermal and Day Color imagers, an Integrated Laser Range Finder, and a ballistic calculator to deliver precise aimpoints that adjust automatically based on various factors. A wireless Helmet Mounted Display allows soldiers to engage targets while remaining protected.

Lastly, the FWS-S variant enhances sniper capabilities by offering thermal imagery alongside direct view optics, extending effective range by 20%. This variant provides snipers with a large format display featuring increased pixel density for long-range engagements while maintaining day sight functionality. The Family of Weapon Sights program aims to significantly boost soldier lethality and situational awareness across different combat scenarios through advanced technology integration.