Soldier Armed

M68 Close Combat Optic By Scott R. Gourley one extra-bright switch settings (16 to- a follow-on M68 CCO competitive ac- tal settings); 100 percent parallax-free, tion in fiscal year 2008. In July 2009, he U.S. Army’s M68 close combat antireflective coated lens system op- the contract was awarded to Aimpoint Toptic (CCO) has the straightfor- tics; and a dot diameter of 2 inches at (Chantilly, Va.) to supply up to 565,783 ward mission of “provid[ing] the sol- 100 yards (2 minutes of angle). of their new CompM4 sights to satisfy dier armed with an M16-series rifle or Formal characteristics and features M68 CCO requirements. M4 carbine with a robust precision aside, a recent system description According to Keith Weaver, com- electronic optical red dot sight for use from the office of Product Manager mercial customer support representa- with both eyes open to improve effec- Individual Weapons at PEO Soldier tive for Aimpoint, the new M68 close tiveness.” quoted SSG Paul Wolfley as noting, combat optic is basically an Aimpoint Measuring 5.3 inches long by 3.0 “For the guys who like to play Nin- model CompM4s. Weaver highlighted inches wide, the approximately 14- tendo, the 68 is very simple. You put some of the new warfighter enhance- ounce system (14.4 ounces in M16A4/ the red dot on it and that’s it. You ments during a recent industry firing M4 configuration and 14.1 ounces in don’t have to line up two sight pic- demonstration in Nevada. M16A2 configuration with auxiliary tures.” “There is a slight difference in the s mounting rail) is a red-dot aiming de- The U.S. Army has been contracting variant of the CompM4, in that the bat- vice that enhances soldier battlefield for red-dot sights for more than a tery compartment and switch housing situational awareness and target ac- dozen years, with tens of thousands of are in the lower right-hand position quisition speed. warfighters equipped with the Aim- versus the CompM4 in which they are The sight, which has no magnifica- point CompM2 passive red-dot sight in the upper right-hand position,” tion and can be used with all current as their M68 CCO. With those units in Weaver explained. “The old M68, the night-vision equipment, incorporates full-rate production and fielding to CompM2, which the Army has been seven night-vision, eight daylight and U.S. warfighters, the Army conducted fielding as the CCO, had the switch and housing in the upper right-hand position as well. We went to the lower position for the battery compartment and switch to give the entire sight a lower profile by getting those parts out of the way. That redesign was defi- nitely driven by a lot of end-user in- put—that is, the U.S. Army as the largest end user of the M68 optic.” Another specific improvement on the CompM4s M68 CCO over the older CompM2 is an integrated mount. Ac- cording to Weaver, “The CompM2 had a 30 mm ring as part of the mount, but with the new CompM4s it’s inte- grated—it just bolts right into the bot- tom. There are fewer parts. It’s cleaner, stronger and easier. It only mounts one

Earlier models of the M68 close combat optic (CCO) featured a battery compart- ment and switch housing in the upper right-hand position shown here. PEO Soldier

April 2010 I ARMY 73 Redesign of the latest model M68 CCO includes movement of the battery housing/switch compartment to the lower right- hand position. Scott Gourley way, so it takes any guesswork out of needs it. That run-time rating of “Not that those were a vulnerable part how to mount it. There are just two 80,000 hours is for a setting of ‘12 of of the CompM2,” Weaver said, “but bolts to put together, and that’s it. The 16,’ and that’s a daytime setting. It’s you might say that one of the themes spacer is already in there from the fac- not setting 1. So it’s a real eight years of this new CompM4s is that it has tory, so it is already configured to be of run time.” been specifically engineered for the mounted where the center of the optic Army to get a long life out of the is at the exact same height as the iron laborating on the settings and sight.” sights on a flattop M4 carbine. It al- Eswitch, Weaver said, “That’s an- The sight also includes a screw- ready ‘co-witnesses’—we call it an ab- other area where we have improved in/screw-out killFlash antireflective solute co-witness. It can be reconfig- the sight a lot. The CompM2 is a phe- device as well as a rubber “bikini- ured for lower mount heights—such as nomenal sight, and it has served the type” cover (the sight also accepts flip an M249 or M240—with just the Allen Army very well, but the one thing caps if the end user desires to up- key: You pull the two bolts out, pull that soldiers could break on it was the grade). The U.S. Army configuration the spacer out and then reattach the knob. That knob protrudes out [from ships with a forward-extension goose- QRP [Quick Release Picatinny], or the battery compartment] so you can neck or Z mount that allows adapta- ‘rail-grabber’ portion of the mount, di- grab it. We like a manual switch that tion for M16A2 rifles with fixed carry rectly to the sight. we can get with gloves on. We can get handle. “The QRP has also been improved it in the dark. We can get it in stressful Asked about significance to the over the older QRP,” Weaver contin- situations very easily, turn it, and it warfighter, Weaver credited the M68 ued. “It’s still the same knurled knob, goes ‘click.’ Because it protrudes for CCO as providing “an absolutely but the knob is ‘closer in’ so that it easy grabbing, however, it’s also the maintenance-free, worry-free tool. [A doesn’t hang up on things as easily, first thing that hits the ground when soldier] doesn’t have to worry about and it tightens down a little bit more, you drop the rifle. I won’t say that the changing batteries. He doesn’t have to too. new switch is indestructible—but [it] worry about the sight not working. “Another one of the improvements almost [is]. You can beat the heck out He doesn’t have to worry about it los- is that we’ve gone to a single double- of it—it is incredibly durable. Also, ing zero or falling off the gun. He A [AA] battery,” he added. “Again, those 16 settings include a full array doesn’t have to worry about it getting that was due to user input. The Army of night-vision settings as well as the wet. You can basically treat it like a has a lot of AAs. They use them in extra-bright setting for use in any con- nonelectronic or nonoptic. Everything other devices, so having the same bat- ditions where you may need that ex- that you traditionally have to worry tery for multiple devices really helps tra boost—it disproportionally jumps about with electronics and optics, you out with logistics. It also increases bat- higher and brighter.” don’t have to worry about with this. tery life to 80,000 hours of ‘constant Other changes in the new design in- “It’s the ultimate Aimpoint red-dot on’ run time—that’s more than eight volve the windage and elevation ad- performance to put rounds on target years on one AA. The soldier can now justment caps, which have also been faster and easier,” he concluded. “It’s turn his sight on, leave it on, and it modified to be “flush turret” for a there when the warfighter needs it, so will be ready whenever the soldier lower profile and shielded design. that he can focus on his job.” (

74 ARMY I April 2010