Helo Point, a company based in Israel, offers a streamlined video
camera mountable on a rifle or pistol. The image is relayed to a
viewfinder on the soldier's helmet or wrist, allowing him to fire the
weapon around obstacles and fire without exposing anything more than
his arms.
"It is the first sighting system using wireless video technology,
which means commanders can also watch the battle as it takes place,"
said Helo Point director Avraham Bar-David.
"This product was developed over the past year, to satisfy demand by
Israel's special units, and is already in use," he said. He declined
to say how many were sold but put the unit price at $2,000-$3,000.
Crouched at the entrance of a mock-up house, a soldier reached in
with a pistol and hit a cardboard target tucked out of sight.
An arms expert called such technology the latest phase in a quest to
keep soldiers out of the line of fire while fighting.
The Israeli daily Maariv newspaper reported recently that a U.S. firm
had, with Israeli help, invented Corner Shot, a flexible, rifle-like
pistol extension that keeps the weapon at arms length from the
shooter and also uses a video camera for aiming.
An Israeli company says it has developed a world first -- electronic
sighting systems for troops to fire safely around corners during
urban combat. The Reuters news agency was invited to see the system
in operation.