SUSAT

The Sight Unit Small Arms, Trilux, or SUSAT, is a 4x optical sight with tritium-powered illumination for night sighting. The full name of the current model is the SUSAT L9A1. The sight is not designed as a sniper sight, but is rather intended to be mounted on a variety of rifles and to be used by all infantrymen. A similar device is the Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight.

Use

SUSAT is the primary sighting system for the British Army's SA80 series weapons and L108 and L110 light machine guns. It is also used in the armies of Cameroon, Oman, Spain and Sweden, in assault rifles such as the Swedish Ak5-B and the Spanish CETME LV.

A similar unit known as the Trilux SUIT sight was used on the L1A1 SLR

Reticle

The reticle of the SUSAT is of unusual design. Unlike the traditional crosshair layouts commonly used, which are in essence a cross intersecting the target, the SUSAT has a single obelisk-shaped post protruding from the bottom edge of the sight. This type of reticle is sometimes referred to as the "German Post". This does obscure the target at long range and the foreground. The reticle is tritium-illuminated for low-light condition aiming. The radioactive tritium light source has to be replaced every 8-12 years, since it gradually loses its brightness due to radioactive decay.

Manufacturing

SUSAT is constructed from a one-piece, pressure die-cast, aluminium body, into which the eyepiece, objective lens and prisms are fitted as assemblies.

The SUSAT sight is developed in Great Britain by Royal Armaments Research Development Establishment (RARDE) and is manufactured by United Scientific Instruments and Avimo, now known as Thales Optics.

The sight is built to an extremely high standard, it has been tested to a very high level, and normal wear and tear is easily accepted. Extreme pressure (throwing it at a wall, stamping on it) should not damage the unit itself, however due to its method of attachment to the rails, the zero is easily lost.

pecifications

SUSAT L9A1

*Length: 145 mm
*Height: 55 mm
*Width: 60 mm
*Weight: 417 gram
*Magnification: 4x
*Entry eyepiece: 25,5 mm
*Exit eyepiece: 6,0 mm
*Field of vision: 10 degrees
*Eye distance: 25 mm
*Light permeability: >80%
*Illumination: Red tritium, glass ampoule
*Illumination strength: Adjustable
*Tritium ampoule lifetime: 10 years
*Focus: -0.75 to -1.25 dioptres
*Operational temperature: -46 to +71 °C

External links

* [http://www.usiltd.co.uk United Scientific Instruments] - Official website
* [http://gunthings.com/TriluxwLED.jpgImage of Trilux SUIT]
* [http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c327/FunkMoebius59/Trilux005.jpgSimilar view of SUSAT sight]