Page 7 - DSEi JAPAN 2023 - DAY 3 | DAILY NEWS

SAFRAN VECTRONIX EYEING EMERGING

JAPANESE OPTRONICS REQUIREMENTS

Safran Vectronix is promoting its North capabilities. Sterna can operate in
optronic devices at the ongoing show, a GPS-denied environment and will not
with an eye towards emerging Japanese be disturbed, if used right next to a heavy
needs for high-end optronic devices for armored vehicle. It can also operate in a
its military. Safran Vectronix has a pres- hardened concrete environment, such as
ence in Japan for over 20 years with a indoors in a heavy urban terrain. There
local business partner. Speaking to Daily are over 6,000 Sterna systems opera-
News, Christian Waschnig, Regional tional in the U.S. and a few thousand of
Director Sales & Marketing, Safran them with European nations. Waschnig
Vectronix, said Japan is an important said efforts were also underway on
customer as it prefers sophisticated and selling and promoting the company’s
high-end equipment for its military. He optronic systems to South East Asian
said that sample units of the company’s countries.
Sterna + Moskito TI had been acquired
by the Japanese self defence forces, for Another optronic system being pro-
budget and testing purposes. Waschnig moted for the Japanese military is the
estimated a need for 100 Sterna + company’s Moskito TI that combines a
Moskito TI units to be acquired over a multitude of features in less than 1.3/1.4
2-year period, once a contract fructifies. kg. It requires only four CR123 batteries,
while the larger Moskito TI+ relies on AA
The Non-Magnetic Based Sterna + batteries. The Thermal Imagers are also the harshest conditions and provide
Moskito TI target acquisition system can offered with a modular GPS, which saves infantry and special forces unmatched
operate 24/7, in virtually all terrain and up to 1 kg of total weight. The Moskito situational awareness at any time of day
weather conditions and provides True TI and Moskito TI+ work reliably under or night.

allows operators to record the numbers
SAAB BULLISH ON EXPORT of rounds fired from the weapon. The
M4 has a life of 1,000 rounds. The shot
PROSPECTS FOR CARL-GUSTAF M4 counter, records all 84 mm rounds fired
from the weapon.
official told Daily News that production
of the M4 variant, should it be selected According to the official, the Carl-Gustaf
by the Japanese military, was yet to M4 can be fitted with a wide range of
be discussed. The official did confirm, sights to ensure maximum effect in
however, that the M4 was being demon- any tactical situation and flexibility for
strated to the Japanese self defence the user. The system is attached with
forces. Till date, out of 40 customers for standard clip-on telescopic sight, and
Saab’s Carl-Gustaf family of weapons, additional options, include an open
16 have opted for the new M4 variant, sight, red dot sight and advanced fire
including many first time customers. control devices, available. It also has
a Fire Control Device (FCD) 558. There
The Carl-Gustaf M4 is shorter than one no range knobs on the M4 and it has
Saab is highlighting the capabiltiies of meter and weighs less than seven kilos built-in ballistics data for all Carl-Gustaf
its Carl-Gustaf M4 man-portable, multi- as compared to its predecessors. The ammunition, allowing rapid reloading
role weapon system at the show. The M4 variant is 3 kg lighter than the older and adjustment, and improved sensors
company is confident about the market M3 variant, affording troops greater agil- for temperature and air pressure.
potential of the system in Japan and the ity in the combat field with the former.
region. The Carl-Gustaf M4 is the latest The weight of Carl-Gustaf M4 is less
version of the long-serving man-portable than half the weight of the M2 version.
weapon system and is in use with the The M4 weapon is backward-compatible
Japanese self defence forces in its M2 with all legacy Carl-Gustaf ammunition,
and M3 variants. which is an important consideration for
militaries, which have large numbers of
The earlier variants of the Carl-Gustaf, the recoilless weapon in their inventory.
the M2 and M3 variants, were produced
under license in Japan. A company The M4 also has shot counter, which

DSEi JAPAN 2023 MARCH-17-2023 7