Can anybody identify what this is?
It was manufactured by Shorts Brothers in 1981 and is labelled as an “Optical Head Trainer”. NSN databases just give the same name.
From the date and manufacturer I would have thought it was maybe something to do with Blowpipe, but it doesn’t look like the Blowpipe aiming unit.
Externally, it has a monocular sight, a front lens, a rear lens, and a multi-pin connector. The monocular looks through to the front lens, and the rear lens also looks through to the front lens. A bracket on the underside makes it look like it was used on a tripod/mount.
Inside there is a miniature cathode ray tube plus high voltage power supplies, some complicated optics, and a pair of “rate gyros”. The arrangement of half-silvered mirrors looks like the CRT is able to superimpose some graphics over the monocular view of the real world. The image presented at the monocular sight also appears at the rear lens.
Thanks
Richard
It was manufactured by Shorts Brothers in 1981 and is labelled as an “Optical Head Trainer”. NSN databases just give the same name.
From the date and manufacturer I would have thought it was maybe something to do with Blowpipe, but it doesn’t look like the Blowpipe aiming unit.
Externally, it has a monocular sight, a front lens, a rear lens, and a multi-pin connector. The monocular looks through to the front lens, and the rear lens also looks through to the front lens. A bracket on the underside makes it look like it was used on a tripod/mount.
Inside there is a miniature cathode ray tube plus high voltage power supplies, some complicated optics, and a pair of “rate gyros”. The arrangement of half-silvered mirrors looks like the CRT is able to superimpose some graphics over the monocular view of the real world. The image presented at the monocular sight also appears at the rear lens.
Thanks
Richard