30 March 2023

SOFINS 2023: Thales demonstrates XTRAIM sight and Nellie NVG combination

by Amael Kotlarski

Thales XTRAIM weapon sight mounted on a Sig Sauer MCX Virtus .300 BLK rifle. (Janes/Amael Kotlarski)

Thales demonstrated a combination of its XTRAIM thermal weapon sight and Nellie night-vision goggles (NVGs) at the SOFINS 2023 defence exhibition, near Bordeaux, France.

The two systems were tested on a course replicating night type four and five environments, and the XTRAIM's fused mode was used to detect thermally active targets that would have been almost impossible to detect using an image intensified device alone.

Unveiled in 2021, the XTRAIM combines a traditional holographic sight and an uncooled thermal imager. The sight weighs 530 g, can be mounted directly onto an MIL-STD-1913 rail, and is weapon- and calibre-agnostic. The XTRAIM offers three modes to the user – day view using the holographic window; infrared (IR) where the feed from the thermal imager is projected directly onto the sight window; and fused, where the feed from the thermal imager is used to create an ‘outline' of objects in the field-of-view (FOV), but retaining the day sight functionality. The sight is powered by an AA battery and when using the thermal channel only, can operate for seven hours. After this period, the sight will automatically switch to day mode only and operate for a further 40 hours. The XTRAIM features a number of reticle brightness settings, including night-vision settings, as well as supporting custom reticles based on user requirements. Thales representatives indicated that the design of the XTRAIM has now been finalised, and that the company would begin serial production this year.

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