Shooting with Night Vision Goggles and Aiming Lights

摘要

Aiming lights, zeroed to the M16 rifle and used with night vision goggles (NVGs),provide soldiers an enhanced night firing capability. However, aiming lights are difficult to zero. Firers have difficulty in getting initial shot groups on the 25-m zero target, from which aiming light adjustments must be made, and in aiming consistently during live-fire zeroing, because of the bloom of the aiming light and reduced visual acuity through NVGs. Research addressing both problems was conducted. Modifications to the 25-m live-fire zero procedures resulted in smaller shot groups, enabled firers to zero with fewer shot groups, and yielded higher hit performance compared to current zeroing procedures. Good NVG acuity settings resulted in smaller shot groups and in higher hit performance than poor settings. A dry-fire zero procedure increased the likelihood of getting initial shot groups on paper, compared to the manufacturer's mechanical adjustment, and could substitute for live-fire zeroing in emergency deployment situations. The revised procedures use readily available materials and apply to AN/PAQ-4A and M%/PAQ-4B aiming lights.