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Aimpoint AB

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Aimpoint AB
Type Private
Industry Manufacturing
Founded 1974
Headquarters Malmö, Sweden
Products Electro-optical sights and accessories
Website http://www.aimpoint.com

Aimpoint AB is a Swedish optics company manufacturing red dot sights for civilian, police and military use. The most popular model is the CompM2, currently used by numerous armed forces around the world.

Company[]

The Aimpoint AB[1] is a manufacturing company founded in 1974 and is based in Malmö, Sweden.[2] Their primary products are reflector (or reflex) sights, specifically the red dot sight sub-type. In 1975 they introduced their first commercial product,[3] the "Aimpoint Electronic" red dot sight, based on a design by Helsingborg engineer John Arne Ingemund Ekstrand.[4] This is claimed to be the first light-emitting diode "red dot" reflector sight ever manufactured. They currently offer many product lines based on this technology as well as accessories. In 1997 Aimpoint was awarded the first multi-year military contract ever for a red dot sighting system when the US Army purchased their Aimpoint CompM2, designated the “M68 Close Combat Optic”.[5]

Products[]

Ak5Daimpoint

Ak 5D seen here with an Aimpoint red dot sight.

Aimpoint currently sells a large line of red dot sights marketed to hunters, marksmens, law-enforcement agencies, and military organizations all over the world.[6] More than 500,000 Aimpoint sights are in military service today.

All of their products use non-magnifying optical collimators (reflector or "reflex" sights) along with battery powered light-emitting diodes to produce a red aiming point. Some models come in sub-types with lenses added to give them a low magnification. Many sights utilize a type of mangin mirror system, consisting of a meniscus lens corrector element combined with the semi-reflective mirror (what Aimpoint's advertising calls a "two lens" or "double lens" system[7]), that compensates for off axis spherical aberration, an error that can cause the dot position to diverge off the sight's optical axis with change in eye position.[8][9][10] Some sights also offer some correction for parallax via having the aiming dot focused at a distance of 50 yards.[citation needed] Aimpoint markets their sights as "parallax free",[11] but this seems to refer to their off-axis spherical aberration correction system. Aimpoints, like all other collimated sight systems, induce some parallax at different ranges due to the nature of the collimator.[12][13]

Current Aimpoint models[]

CET models[]

These models use Aimpoints "Circuit Efficiency Technology" (CET) diode circuitry, a low power consumption system:

  • Aimpoint CompM2: The standard military red dot sight, designated M68 CCO (Close Combat Optic) by the US Army. Four MOA and night vision compatible.
  • Aimpoint CompML2: Same as CompM2, but lacks night vision compatibility.
  • Aimpoint LPI
  • Aimpoint CS Model issued to the Swedish Armed Forces.

ACET models[]

These models use Aimpoints "Advanced Circuit Efficiency Technology" (ACET) diode circuitry, a newer low power consumption system introduced in 2005:

  • Aimpoint PRO: a.k.a. Patrol Rifle Optic. Launched in January 2011, marketed to law enforcement for usage on patrol rifles, shotguns, and sub-machine guns. Available in 2 MOA model with a battery life of 30,000 hours. Uses 2L76 or DL1/3N battery Also Night Vision Compatible.
  • Aimpoint CompM4: The latest version of the military M68 Close Combat Optic. Two MOA dot and uses standard AA battery. Night Vision Compatible.
  • Aimpoint CompM4s: Same specifications as the Aimpoint CompM4, but it comes with a low battery compartment.
  • Aimpoint CompM3: Available in 2 and 4 MOA models. Night vision compatible.
  • Aimpoint CompML3: Same as CompM3, but lacks night vision compatibility.
  • Aimpoint Micro H-1: The smallest sight in the Aimpoint family, only 105grams including the mount. Comes in 4 MOA dot.
  • Aimpoint Micro T-1: The police and military version in the Micro series, comes in a matt black finish with NVD capabilities.
  • Aimpoint MPS3: A machine gun sight which uses the same type electronics as the Aimpoint CompM4.

Accessories[]

Colt M4 MWS Carbine Iraq

A U.S. Army soldier with an M4 carbine equipped with an Aimpoint CompM2

  • Aimpoint 3XMag: 3× magnification module for Aimpoint sights.

Featured behind an eotech.[14]

  • Aimpoint LPI: Infrared laser sight to be mounted on either a Picatinny rail or directly on some of the CompML or CompM sights.
  • Aimpoint CEU (Concealed Engagement Unit): Mounted on the Aimpoint TM (TwistMount) behind the Aimpoint sight. Allows the user to engage the target from a protected position.

Discontinued Aimpoint models[]

  • Aimpoint Electronic (1975) - Aimpoint's first product and the first mass-produced "red dot sight".
  • Aimpoint Electronic G2 (1978)
  • Aimpoint Mark III (1983) - first model to have internal adjustments.
  • Aimpoint 2000 (1985) - ring mounted, auto light adjust.
  • Aimpoint 1000 (1987)
  • Aimpoint Bow (1987)
  • Aimpoint 3000 (1989) - a sight with 1" (25.4 mm) tube. It is used by the French GIGN on G-3 TGS and sometimes on Remington 870; it is thought to have been used, or to be in use still, by Navy SEALs on the M4A1[15]
  • Aimpoint 5000 (1991)
  • Aimpoint Comp (1991) - pistol sight
  • Aimpoint CompM/ML (1997)
  • Aimpoint 5000 XD (1999) - improved "XD" diode for brightness/battery life.
  • Aimpoint 5000 XD 2x (1999) - 2× magnification
  • Aimpoint CompM/ML XD (1999)
  • Aimpoint CompML 2X (1999) - 2× magnification
  • Aimpoint Comp XD (1999)
  • Aimpoint CompC (2001)
  • Aimpoint CompC 2X (2001) - 2× magnification
  • Aimpoint CompC SM (2001)
  • Aimpoint 7000S (2001) - full-length sight for hunting and sport-shooting rifles.
  • Aimpoint 7000S 2X (2001) - 2× magnification
  • Aimpoint 7000SC (2001)
  • Aimpoint 7000SC 2X (2001) - 2× magnification
  • Aimpoint 7000SC SM (2001)
  • Aimpoint 7000L (2001)
  • Aimpoint 7000L 2X (2001) - 2× magnification
  • Aimpoint MPSII (2002) - designed for military use, medium or heavy support weapons.
  • Aimpoint CompC3 (2005)
  • Aimpoint CompC3 2X (2005) - 2× magnification
  • Aimpoint CompC3 (4MOA) (2005)
  • Aimpoint 9000L (2005) - full-length sight for hunting and sport-shooting rifles.
  • Aimpoint 9000L 2X (2005) - 2× magnification
  • Aimpoint 9000SC 2X (2005) - 2× magnification
  • Aimpoint 9000 SC Camo (2005)
  • Aimpoint Micro R-1 (2007) - handgun/hunter model, same as the H-1 but instead of the black finish the R-1 comes in a Silver finish.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ↑ "AB" is a standard Swedish abbreviation for "Aktiebolag", a variation of the English "registered company"
  2. ↑ businessweek.com, Bloomberg Business Exchange, Electronic Equipment, Instruments and Components, Aimpoint AB
  3. ↑ Aimpoint, History
  4. ↑ Invention intelligence: Volume 11, Inventions Promotion Board, National Research Development Corporation of India - 1976, page 12
  5. ↑ Paul Milenkowic, Stan S. Sudol. "USE OF MULTIYEAR CONTRACT SAVES $1.36M". http://procnet.pica.army.mil/Reference/articles/Archives/multiyear.htm. 
  6. ↑ List includes: US Army, US Navy, US Air Force, US Marine Corps, USSOCOM units, the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team, French Army, Swedish Army, Danish Army, Finnish Army, Norwegian Army, Latvian Army, Slovenian Army, and Italian Army[citation needed]
  7. ↑ BATTLESPACE Exhibition News, SHOT SHOW OPENS WITH A BANG! by Julian Nettlefold
  8. ↑ Note: a setup Aimpoint calls "parallax free"
  9. ↑ ar15.com, How Aimpoints, EOTechs, And Other Parallax-Free Optics Work
  10. ↑ Gunsight - Patent 5901452 - general description of a mangin mirror system
  11. ↑ Aimpoint's parallax-free, double lens system... AFMO.com
  12. ↑ John Dreyer, Facts and Figures About Dot Sights, Encyclopedia of Bullseye Pistol
  13. ↑ American rifleman: Volume 93, National Rifle Association of America - THE REFLECTOR SIGHT By JOHN B. BUTLER, page 31
  14. ↑ Systema M4A1 PTW
  15. ↑ Equipment | NavySEALs.com - Experience the SEAL Edge

External links[]

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