The system combines a digital image feed with a conventional optic device. (Janes/Christopher Petrov)
UK company GuS Periscopes unveiled a new hybrid periscope for armoured vehicles at Defence iQ's International Armoured Vehicles (IAV) 2025 conference held in Farnborough from 21 to 23 January.
Grahame Crook, strategy officer for GuS Periscopes, told Janes the periscope unit offers both a traditional optical sight that can allow the operator to see outside the vehicle while under armoured protection and a combined digital screen mounted onto the periscope. The screen shows a video stream from a digital camera mounted on the exterior of the vehicle. The periscope's mirrors guide the image to a pivoted glossy screen that reflects the image into the operator's eyes. However, the reflective screen also doubles as a digital display for the camera mounted outside. This allows the operator to have a combined overlay view of both digital- and optical-supplied image feeds.
The system helps to eliminate the need for a separate digital display to show the image feed, which can save precious interior volume for other subsystems. Crook said the system can be applied to several GuS Periscopes' models, allowing for different sizes and both glass or Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) transparent plastic periscopes.
Crook said both glass and PMMA periscopes are sought after, with some armed forces opting for one over the other, while others incorporate both into the same vehicle. Janes learnt from GuS Periscopes that the Boxer family of armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) uses glass periscopes for the driver and PMMA periscopes for the commander. Crook added that customers could customise their orders with heated periscopes and filters to protect operators from laser beams.
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