So, this might be a dumb question, but could some folks on the MIL side educate me on how lasers are deployed on carbines currently?
Lasers seem not to have had a big takeup on the LEO and CIV side of the house, and I am assuming this is because lasers in the MIL setting are mostly for fire designation within the squad/platoon and for times when NVGs are deployed.
The thing I have always been curious about is why all the MIL lasers I have seen pics of are so f-ing huge. With Crimson Trace, Aimpoint and Lasermax all putting out tiny lasers in red, green and IR; why are issue PEQs so giant?
These are all dumb questions, I am sure, but I haven’t found a lot of talk about MIL lasers on civilian boards, and you guys seem to know a whole lot.
My understanding is the AN/PEQ has both an IR illuminator and a IR laser, both of which can only be seen by soldiers equipped with night vision. This is not the same as the simple civilian laser-pointer type units that are visible to the naked eye.
The illuminator is used to light up targets like a flashlight using the IR spectrum.
The PAQ-4 is an IR laser only, built on 80’s laser technology. I runs on 2 AA batteries and since it was mounted on A2’s required a barrel bracket that protrudes through the top handguard (or on the right side for 203 equipped guns). They aren’t too big, but are not overly rugged. I haven’t used one since the late 90’s.
The PAQ-4 was replaced by the PEQ-2, which includes an IR flood along with the aiming laser. It is significantly larger than the PAQ-4, runs on 4 AA batteries, and has a higher powered laser. It acually has a block to prevent the user from switching the laser to it’s highest power while state-side. The block is supposed to be removed for combat operations, which gives the laser farther reach and better penetration through dust and fog.
The PEQ-15 (ATIPAL) adds a visible laser to the capabilities of the PEQ-2. The visible laser is matched to the IR laser, which eases zeroing and boresighting the system (and is handy when using a magnified optic at compressed range when NODs are not applicable). It is also smaller than the PEQ-2, and pretty tough.
The PEQ-16 (IPIM) adds a visible white light to the ATIPAL. The white light is not all that great, and last I heard was being reworked to push more light. Mine came with a few different covers that changed the laser to different shapes for target ID and differentiating team-member’s lasers.
MIL lasers push a lot of power, which is one reason for their size. As more capabilities are smashed into the unit, they have to grow in size, and all that technology requires batteries to keep it running, which adds size.
Use of the laser depends a lot on duty/billet. While a junior guy will mostly be using his for threat engagement, the unit commander will probably be using his mostly for signaling and assigning targets.
There are other systems for other applications, from pistols to machineguns, which shring or grow in size and power depending on application.
I didn’t know/think about lots of the points you touched on - IR illumination, dual red/IR systems and white light illumination (though with flashlight technology changing so quickly thanks to LEDs, it sounds like a losing game trying to integrate white light into these systems until the innovation in that arena levels off a bit).
A follow on if I could be so bold - the IR illumination you speak of; is this just basically like white light or is the illuminator more of a focused cone for projecting out to designate area targets for other team members?
I understand the reasoning for the caution, but you can find this information anywhere. It’s not like it’s top-secret, non-public info. Just look it up at Wikipedia for example.
Or any of the other hundreds of military interest sites.
Let me clarify here, since this whole OPSEC thing is getting out of hand.
I was just interested in learning a bit more about a niche piece of gear that doesn’t really have a wide range of use in the civilian or LE worlds, but which often gets touched upon in the AR community because of the MIL side of the house. My only real interest here was in the gear.
I seriously couldn’t give a flip about TTPs or trying to milk out OPSEC information. The only reason I even mentioned how these things are deployed was because I wanted to limit the scope of any potential answers without someone needing to hash over the basics of how these things are used. Honestly, it isn’t like it takes some great leap of imagination to figure out how useful IR lasers/illuminators are or how they might be used in crafty, fight winning ways.
Look, I’ve interacted with a lot regular posters on here through various other forums. I am using my real name here because it is obvious that M4Carbine isn’t more of a serious source of information and technical discussion and I also acknowledge that I am just some < 10 post cherry. Having said all that, perhaps it isn’t really necessary to be getting our swim trunks in a bunch over a post that is pretty clearly not asking about anything that can’t be figured out on Wikipedia or through even minimally active imagination.
It’s not your house and if you think something is “out of hand” you can wander the www elsewhere.
I don’t intend to help expose the TTP’s used by anyone going in harms way. This page is obviously viewable to all, and one cannot be sure of their intentions. I will not help “one stop shop” for non-professionals, and quite possibly the opposition, to gain an understanding of operational; tactics, techniques, procedures or equipment.
Your free to satisfy your idle curiosity on wikipedia or use your minmally active imagination.
