General Dynamics UK, the prime contractor for the Ministry of Defence’s Scout SV programme has selected Thales UK to supply the primary and secondary sighting systems for Scout, the reconnaissance variant of SV.

Lockheed Martin UK, the Scout SV turret sub-contractor, will integrate the sights onto the turret for the Scout SV programme.

"General Dynamics UK has selected the most advanced and appropriate systems for Scout to give our soldiers the best equipment they can possibly have," commented Steve Rowbotham, vice-president of General Dynamics UK. "Our choice of suppliers on the SV programme reflects our dedication to delivering the best vehicle for the end user. In the case of the primary and secondary sights for the Scout turret, Thales UK’s sight technology was judged to be the best for the job."

The primary sight is mainly for the use of the vehicles’ commander. It enables the commander to maintain a 360° view of his surroundings has a thermal imager to identify targets and has a Wide Area Search And Detect (WASAD) capability that automatically detects and tracks potential targets from their thermal signature, alerting the crew to their presence. The primary sight also includes provision for an optional Laser Target Designator (LTD) and the Scout SV demonstration phase will mark the first use of a vehicle-mounted, under-armour LTD by the British Army.

The secondary sight is for the gunner and gives him the ability to detect and identify targets at extended ranges and accurately engage targets at the full range of the main armament. It also includes a high-definition colour TV camera for daylight use, as well as a long-range day optical channel.

Both sights are integrated with a Sensor Processor Unit which, combined with the sights’ stabilisation systems, enables the vehicle’s turret to be rapidly traversed onto the target whilst on the move, providing an unsurpassed hunter-killer capability for vehicles in this class. Both sights have fully digital video outputs, in accordance with the UK MoD’s new Vetronics Infrastructure for Video Over Ethernet (VIVOE) standard, facilitating connection into the vehicles’ electronic architecture for onward distribution.

Alex Cresswell, managing director of Thales UK’s land defence business, said: "Thales UK looks forward to working closely with General Dynamics UK to deliver this significant capability into service on schedule and to specification."

The Scout reconnaissance vehicle will be a key variant in the British Army’s SV fleet when it goes into service. It will serve alongside other SV variants including Protected Mobility, Repair and Recovery vehicles, all based on the common-base platform developed by General Dynamics UK.