I am just going to give my personal opinions, observations and views about these firearms as the above article already covered the technical details comprehensively. There has been similar systems in place over the years, I recall seeing one on the Discovery Channel's "Future Weapons" episode, for example, but none has been able to integrate digital technology to firearms as seamlessly and as smoothly as this one.
'Longbow and Crossbow Similarity'
The invention of these PGFs remind me of the history of the Longbow and the Crossbow. Longbows were THE penultimate range weapons in its day, but it had one main drawback, and that is was is difficult to master. The strings were hard to pull back, and as if that was not enough, you have to hold the weapon in tension as you aim it, before releasing it to its target.
This takes a lot of strength and skill to do, and England at the time got around this by requiring its children to train early with Longbows, enabling them to have a good population of skilled Longbowmen when they grew up. But the long training is still at a disadvantage as it meant Longbowmen are difficult to replace due to the years of training required.
Now comes the Crossbow, which had the advantage of being easier to load, and also you do not have to hold the bow in tension as you aim it. It was an overall easier weapon to learn, and more importantly, it takes much less time to train and master with. Of course, in terms of range the Longbow still had a distinct advantage, but the advantages of the Crossbow were enough to offset its disadvantages, eventually replacing the Longbow as the primary ranged weapon of its day.
These PGFs I feel will have the same effect now as the Crossbow had back in its day: Normally Snipers take weeks and months of training (even years) to be competent with their craft. With these PGFs, that training time is cut down to a matter of hours or days, with almost same result and accuracy. In the article I linked above, the three evaluators walked away after trying out the weapons being members of the "Thousand Yard Club", meaning they were able to hit targets a thousand yards away. What was even more impressive was the fact that they did it on their first session with the firearm, with one shooter not even familiar with rifles but with pistols.
And here is another example: A woman who has never fired a gun before, hits a target 250 yards away on her very first try with the PGF:
http://youtu.be/BN2nFBX8To4
'Sharing and Storing Videos'
Aside from the accuracy and ease of use, another thing which I feel is revolutionary about these firearms is their ability to share and store videos of the shot. In the past, Snipers most of the time only are the ones who are able to see what is seen directly with the scope. These PGFs allow that scene to be shared to other people, whether it is the tracker, or even unit commander IN REAL TIME. This will enable Snipers to ask in certain situations like, "This is what I see, should I go out and kill it?"
Saving videos of the shot, together with pertinent information like distance to target, time of day, wind speed, etc. will enable better evaluation of a shooters performance, giving them better tools to which they can use to improve on even more.
'Military Applications'
One application I foresee with this technology is the realization of a longtime Science Fiction concept of "Sniper Drones". Mounting this system to land-based drones means one would be less encumbered by factors such as weight and bulk. You can use a bigger and heavier gun, probably one of the .50 caliber rifles now available, to extend the system's range even more out to more than 2 Kilometers.
Additional Night Vision systems could also be used to supplement the day optics used currently in the system. Having a drone controlled by a tablet device means other advantages as well, like having multiple users taking turns to monitor the system during sentry duties.
Aside from drones, this system could also be mounted on motorized turrets which can be carried on vehicles, such as HUMVEEs, Trucks, etc. And using the tablet for controls, the operator is not exposed to enemy fire by sitting deep within the protective confines of the vehicle.
'Parting Shot'
I feel that these class of firearms will revolutionize the battlefield in years to come. The current systems available are not military-grade yet, but I am sure Tracking Point already has plans for that down the pipeline in the near future.
Incidentally, if you want to experience how to use this gun, there is a simulator available for IOS devices. I have been playing it with, and it is fantastic. Just search "Tracking Point" on the iTunes store to access it. Here is the Youtube video showing how the app works:
http://youtu.be/GvMeUoP-ing
Having systems like this brings us closer to the Judgement Day Apocalypse which will be implemented by our future robot masters, :D. I am just kidding, of course. Or not. At least it will not happen within our lifetimes ...
SOURCES:
- Tracking Point's Official Website, http://tracking-point.com/
- Tracking Point's Official Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/TrackingPoint
And here is another example: A woman who has never fired a gun before, hits a target 250 yards away on her very first try with the PGF:
http://youtu.be/BN2nFBX8To4
'Sharing and Storing Videos'
Aside from the accuracy and ease of use, another thing which I feel is revolutionary about these firearms is their ability to share and store videos of the shot. In the past, Snipers most of the time only are the ones who are able to see what is seen directly with the scope. These PGFs allow that scene to be shared to other people, whether it is the tracker, or even unit commander IN REAL TIME. This will enable Snipers to ask in certain situations like, "This is what I see, should I go out and kill it?"
Saving videos of the shot, together with pertinent information like distance to target, time of day, wind speed, etc. will enable better evaluation of a shooters performance, giving them better tools to which they can use to improve on even more.
'Military Applications'
One application I foresee with this technology is the realization of a longtime Science Fiction concept of "Sniper Drones". Mounting this system to land-based drones means one would be less encumbered by factors such as weight and bulk. You can use a bigger and heavier gun, probably one of the .50 caliber rifles now available, to extend the system's range even more out to more than 2 Kilometers.
Additional Night Vision systems could also be used to supplement the day optics used currently in the system. Having a drone controlled by a tablet device means other advantages as well, like having multiple users taking turns to monitor the system during sentry duties.
Aside from drones, this system could also be mounted on motorized turrets which can be carried on vehicles, such as HUMVEEs, Trucks, etc. And using the tablet for controls, the operator is not exposed to enemy fire by sitting deep within the protective confines of the vehicle.
'Parting Shot'
I feel that these class of firearms will revolutionize the battlefield in years to come. The current systems available are not military-grade yet, but I am sure Tracking Point already has plans for that down the pipeline in the near future.
Incidentally, if you want to experience how to use this gun, there is a simulator available for IOS devices. I have been playing it with, and it is fantastic. Just search "Tracking Point" on the iTunes store to access it. Here is the Youtube video showing how the app works:
http://youtu.be/GvMeUoP-ing
Having systems like this brings us closer to the Judgement Day Apocalypse which will be implemented by our future robot masters, :D. I am just kidding, of course. Or not. At least it will not happen within our lifetimes ...
SOURCES:
- Tracking Point's Official Website, http://tracking-point.com/
- Tracking Point's Official Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/TrackingPoint
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