DE MASSIA Guillaume:
La trame de l’armement anti personnel de l’infanterie : une évolution qui s’inscrit dans la montée en puissance de SCORPION, in: Fantassins. Le magazine d'information d'infanterie, Bd. 44 (2020), p. 73-76
The overall system of anti-personnel weapons of the infantry entered a full replacement phase two years ago. The replacement of the well-known FAMAS (assault rifle built by the St Etienne armory) by the HK416 France has been the first step. It is going on this year with the replacement of the PA automatic pistol by the PSA semi-automatic pistol, the replacement of the manually operated precision rifle FRF2 by the FPSA gas operated precision rifle and the delivery of the smooth bore 12 cal rifle. It will be continued. with the replacement of the light machine guns and the possible development of a high accuracy (FHP) rifle for the long-range snipers
In this respect, the French infantry is a step ahead of its allied comrades since it benefits from the lessons learned from the deployment of the FELIN (Future Soldier Technology) system, whereas all other modern armies have given up their future combatant programs, resumed them again and are almost ten years behind France. In fact, the failures as well as the successes of the FELIN system allowed to gather a significant amount of lessons learned from the whole program and especially about the weapons of the infantryman.
The lessons learned from the FELIN system and the analysis of the current conflicts lead to reassess the marksmanship requirements of the modern infantryman. The shooter to-morrow will need an all-round, day and night compact and light sight without any complex weapon handling (optic sight change, cable connection). He must be able to operate all necessary functions for “duel” situations at up to 400 m, either mobile or stationary, and still hold his weapon with his strong hand. This requires him to be able to shoot under any conditions and circumstances, even with extreme and sudden luminosity changes.
We have in fact to make a choice between the essential and the necessary. A narrow field which allows to acquire a target at up to 600 m and to make a picture may be useful (although it is questionable for the picture) but it is not essential. When you have to win a duel alone in the confrontation on the battlefield and expose your life, only the essential counts.
This future weapon scope will have to offer both the qualities of the EOTECH and the performances of the LI/IR sensors, the whole being merged in only one modular package with a maximum weigh of 700 g. We will have thus to choose between the usefulness and the necessity. The prevailing need orients toward the IR, since it can be employed whatever the light conditions. Of course, LI remains a requirement but it can be met by the employment of night goggles for shooting. This drive toward the essential is seriously straining the current studies.
The technologies derived from the digitization currently enable to merge the products of various sensors on the same prismatic Picture and thus fix both the problems of the scene effect and of the lone screen. The infantry development unit carefully monitors all These evolutions which could lead to a very compact hybrid product with an EOTECH-type optical sight and a FELIN IR scope which would be compatible with the night goggles. Long range shooting could be secured by a flip-on magnification scope.
Such a product, the IR module of STEINER, has been disclosed for the first time, at a show at the end of 2019. It requires improvements since the performances are still basic, but the idea wins impetus. This kind of simple, useful, light and compact product could be mounted on the HK416 F of the infantryman in the near future.
DE MASSIA Guillaume:
Le nouveau pistolet semi-automatique (PSA) : l’arme secondaire du fantassin, in: Fantassins. Le magazine d'information d'infanterie, Bd. 44 (2020), p. 79-82
DE MASSIA Guillaume:
Le FPSA : la nouvelle arme des Tireurs de Précision de l’infanterie, in: Fantassins. Le magazine d'information d'infanterie, Bd. 44 (2020), p. 84-86
SOURDEAUX Alain:
Évolution de la trame Missiles Roquettes de l’infanterie, in: Fantassins. Le magazine d'information d'infanterie, Bd. 44 (2020), p. 89-90
https://fr.calameo.com/read/005141509410edad893db
