The Holographic Weapon Sight (HWS) developed by EOTech is widely used by the US Special Forces. HWS is available in several versions, including Model 510 daylighht sight and 550 day/night vision compatible sight. In the HWS, the aiming reticle is projected on the display using a holographic pattern, which is instantly visible in any lighting condition, utilizing a 10,000,000:1 bright to low reticle contrast ratio, regardless of the shooting angle.
The standard A65-1 aiming reticle’s outer diameter is about the size of a 6 foot target – an average height of an adult man seen from a distance of 100 meters. Moving out to 200 meters, the same target will occupy half of the outer ring diameter. This enables an intuitive range measurement of a man-sized target at ranges of 100 and 200, up to 400 meters (half radius).
HWS can be used with night vision viewer in tandem configuration. The sight can be used with both eyes open, improving peripheral view and situational awareness. Reticles are designed as large, see-through patterns, efficiently enabling target acquisition and tracking without obscuring the aim-point. Since the holographic pattern can be generated even on a fraction of the display surface, the sight can function even when the display is shattered, or covered with mud or snow. The flat anti-reflective lens eliminates any reflective glare signature.
Model 510 is waterproof and submersible up to 3 meter depth. Model 550 is sealed against water up to a depth of 10 meters. A new modification of the HWS sight is the Hollographic Magnified System (HMS) which uses a dual-purpose reticle ballistically matched to the NATO 5.56 round. Range estimation is facilitated by four dots, measuring man-sized targets at range gates of 0-300, 400, 500 and 600 meters. The brightness settings of the HMS were relocated to the side of the sight, enabling the attachment of an X4 magnifying scope for precision fire at extended range. The sight is powered by two standard AA 1.5 volt batteries which can last for up to 900 hours (hi-power lithium batteries). To date, EOTech is gearing for manufacturing of 70,000 sights of which 60,000 are on order for the US Special Operations Command, 6,000 for the Army and 2,000 for the USMC.
