TrackingPoint, makers of electronically enhanced, precision guided firearms is adding new capability to their line of rifles (press release follows). Their new night vision kit, which will fit most of their existing guns, will give you “gen2-like” see-in-the-dark capability. Of course, it won’t come cheap. But if you’ve laid out the cash for one of TrackingPoint’s guns, the night vision kit’s $2495 price tag may not sting that much . . .
Pflugerville, Texas (February 11, 2016) – TrackingPoint announced today its first night vision product for the company’s Precision-Guided Firearms (PGFs). The Night Vision Kit (NVK) is available for most fielded and future PGFs. The NVK provides Gen2 –like night vision performance. The kit is comprised of a software upgrade and high intensity Infrared (IR) Illuminator.
“Our customers have patiently waited for night vision capabilities,” said John McHale, TrackingPoint CEO. “Now they can make extraordinary shots in total darkness.” Later this year the company will announce additional night vision and thermal products for their Precision-Guided Firearms.
CMOS Sensor Technology
The Night Vision Kit enables the scope’s embedded infrared sensitive CMOS sensor to detect light not visible to the human eye. Depending on the strength of the IR illuminator, targets can be engaged and tracked out to 200 yards at night.
Tag-and-Track at Night
As a shooter pulls the trigger the target is automatically acquired and tracked. When trigger pull completes, the target is instantly eliminated. Total Time-To-Kill (TTK) is approximately 2.5 seconds. RapidLokTM Fire Control is image stabilized enabling you to make off-hand shots and shots on the run.
Kit Components and Installation
The NVK includes a Thumb Drive and High Intensity IR Illuminator. Installation is simple and straight forward. To enable night vision the user inserts the Thumb Drive into the scope USB port and powers on the scope. The IR Illuminator comes with a rail mount kit.
Model Compatibility
The NVK is available for all TrackingPoint models.
Availability and Price
The Night Vision Kit ships April 1st. MSRP of $2495 includes an IR Illuminator. The company is accepting orders now.
Related Announcement
TrackingPoint also announced today the NightHawk 300 Blackout. NightHawk includes a pre-installed NVK and is priced at $15,490 but the first 100 purchases will be sold at the exclusive offer price of $6,995.
About TrackingPoint
TrackingPoint, based in Austin, Texas, created the first Precision-Guided Firearm, a revolutionary new shooting system that puts fighter jet lock-and-launch technology in small arms, enabling shooters to make shots previously considered beyond human ability. To learn more, visit www.tracking-point.com.
$2500 to activate a feature already present? WTH!
It’s more complicated than that.
Quite a few CCDs are sensitive at IR and/or Near IR frequencies.
The processors interpreting the signal from the CCD run a different program to present the data to the viewfinder (so to speak).
There may also be some changes needed in the glass to pass the lower frequencies to the sensor…
Note that the individual charge wells of CCD imagers either respond to certain wavelengths of light or they do not. The processor simply counts the charge at each well to determine how intense the incident light is … and there is no way for the processor to know what wavelength of light impacted any particular charge well to induce that charge.
Might they want to tweak their processing software? Sure. Would that software tweak cost millions of dollars and warrant an upgrade price of $2,500 each? No.
How many buyers/suckers are their to amortize the R&D across? 10? = $2500ea.
Or have the popo widely adopted this toy in which case price is not relevant.
they figure if you have the money and are stupid enough to buy the scope 2500 dollars is nothing. I could see 500 since it comes with the illuminator but 2500 is a joke. Surprised there isnt someone out there who has already hacked it and put in on the web for free.
I still don’t know how such old Gen 2 technology commands such a premium. Surely the Chinese must have copied the design by now and mass produced it for the PLA…
I have nothing constructive to add to this discussion, but I hate Tracking point and hope they go bankrupt.
Ok…couple quick points
1: Night vision which uses illumination has a very short range so the why bother with a now 15000 dollar gun question starts to loom.
2: If it’s so awesome and worth all that scrilla then why are they dropping the price so far for the first 100 complete rifles? Simple, that’s the number of “upgrades” they have to move to get into the black on producing the thing as an upgrade. Every one after that is gravy.
3. Marketed by charlatans to wealthy dilettantes that don’t understand the rudiments of what they even want. This is just as good an idea as the “smart gun”.
4. You could put Gen4 NV on an AR-15 for less. At least the NV wouldn’t SUCK so bad.
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