AN/PAS-13B Thermal Weapon Sight AN/PAS-13(V)1 Light Weapon Thermal Sight (LWTS) Type Scope/Camera Place of origin
United States
Category Military Production history Designer Raytheon Manufacturer Raytheon Produced 1998 Number built 33,400 Variants Medium and Heavy Specifications Weight Medium: 5 pounds (2.3 kg) Heavy: 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg)
Dimensions(LxHxW) Medium: 15.8x6.3x6.3 inches Heavy: 18.11x6.3x6.3 inches
Cont Operation(hrs) 7 hours Field Of Vision Medium
Wide: 18x10.8 degrees Narrow 6x3.6 degrees Heavy
Wide: 9x5.4 degrees Narrow: 3x1.8degrees
Range of Detection Medium
Detect Human: 1.2km Detect Vehicle: 4.2km Heavy Detect Human: 2.8km Detect Vehicle: 6.9km System Zoom Medium 5x Heavy 10x
The AN/PAS-13B Thermal Weapon Sight (TWS) is an infrared sight developed for the United States military by Raytheon. The sight is designed for use on small arms in the U.S. military's inventory, but it can also be used as a standalone observation device. The AN/PAS-13B uses thermal imaging so that it can be used day or night. Thermal imaging also allows the sight to see through smoke or fog, things that may normally obscure other night vision devices. The AN/PAS-13 first became operationally capable with the U.S. Army in 1998 and has reached a [1] total production of 33,400 units.
[edit] Design and Features
The view through a AN/PAS-13 sight. Due to the use of thermal imaging, the AN/PAS-13B does not require low levels of light to operate, and it will not shut off like most night vision if hit directly by light. The thermal imaging sensor within the sight requires a low temperature to operate, so a cool-down time of less than 2 minutes is required at startup. The AN/PAS-13B comes in two variants, the Medium AN/PAS13B(V)2 and the Heavy AN/PAS-13B(V)3. The Medium has a smaller telescope attached, resulting in a zoom of 5x compared to the Heavy's 10x. Both AN/PAS-13Bs have programmable reticles, allowing the user to match the reticle to the weapon system the sight will be mounted on. Some reticles included in the sight include those designed for the M16 Rifle, M4 Carbine,
M60 Machine Gun, M240 Machine Gun, M249, M2 Machine Gun, MK19, M24 Sniper Weapon System, and the GAU-21. The sight also has a multi-function I/O port, allowing for video to be recorded or viewed from a location other than the eyepiece. When using the eyepiece, the rubber cup surrounding the eyepiece must be depressed slightly to engage the display and cooling mechanism. The image displayed for the user is black and white. The user has the ability to select whether white or black will represent hotter objects by selecting "black hot" or "white hot". AN/PAS-13Bs are powered by standard military disposable or rechargeable lithium-ion [2] batteries.
[edit] New Versions In November 2006, three new versions of the AN/PAS-13 were ordered by the U.S. military. The Thermal Weapon Sights II include three new versions, a Light, Medium, and Heavy. All three models weigh less than the originals, weighing 1.8lbs, 2.8lbs, and 3.9lbs respectively. This reduction in weight and size is due to improvements in the sensors, as well as the ability to now run the sights without being cooled. The Medium and Heavy models maintain zooms of 5x and 10x, while the Light model has a zoom of 1.55x and a FOV of 15 degrees. All three models now run on Lithium AA batteries, with the Light having a battery life of 5 hours, the Medium 6.5, and [3] the Heavy 6.5. The US Armed Forces designates version 2 as MTWS (Medium Thermal [4] Weapon Sight), and version 3 as HTWS (Heavy Thermal Weapon Sight). Thermal sights on weapons see heat. This has advantages in complete darkness, or in the presence of obscurants like dust storms, normal smoke, etc. because they can still pick out human and vehicle targets. Using deep infrared viewers also avoids “blooms” or whiteouts if someone flashes a bright light source like a flashlight at you. On the other hand, unless the lines on yo ur map or lettering on that street sign have different heat values, thermal/ “deep infrared” sights aren’t going to help very much. This is why most 3rd and 4th generation night vision goggles use a combination of thermal and light intensifier technologies. The AN/PAS-13 thermal weapons sights are used in more limited capacities, either as weapons sights or without a weapon as a sort of hand-held “night telescope.” The second generation of these sights is now being fielded, and are the subject of additional multi-billion orders from the US military. The new sights use microbolometer thermal imaging technology, which increases their surveillance and target acquisition range in all weather conditions, while shrinking the sights’ size and weight. Bolometers measure electric resistance changes with temperature, and their compatibility with standard CMOS silicon circuits allows for uncooled thermal sights with low cost of production, plus VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) ‘active pixel’ architectures that place all camera functions on a single chip. Because it’s all solid-state electronics, the number of moving parts and hence breakage risks are also lower than previous generation technologies like “chopper” assemblies.
TWS-II sights also offer a dual field of view via E-Zoom, video output, and electronically programmable reticles with alphanumeric system information overlaid on the eyepiece display. This family of thermal
weapons sights come in 3 versions. All statistics given are for the TWS-II variants: AN/PAS-13 (V)1 Light Thermal Weapon Sights (LTWS) for 5.56mm M-16/M4 assault rifles and M136/AT4 anti-tank rockets. These sights include features like a 15 degree horizontal field-of-view lens designed for urban warfare and other wide-view, close-in focus situations. Target Recognition Range: 550 meters Weight LWTS: 1.8 pounds Operational Time: 5 – 25 hours (4 Lithium AAs) Field of View: 15 degrees Magnification: 1.55x AN/PAS- 13 (V)2 Medium Thermal Weapon Sights (MTWS) that mount to M249 “Minimi” 5.56mm Squad Automatic Weapons and M240 family 7.62mm machine guns. Target Recognition Range: 1100 meters Weight: 2.8 pounds Operational Time: 6.5 – 18 hours (6 Lithium AAs) Field of View: 6 degrees/18 degrees (narrow/wide) Magnification: 5x/1.66x (narrow/wide) AN/PAS-13 (V)3 Heavy Thermal Weapon Sights (HTWS) mount to M2 .50 cal heavy machine guns and MK19 40mm grenade machine guns; and on sniper weapon systems like modified M4/M16s, the 7.62mm M24 sniper rifle, and the .50 cal M107 long range sniper rifle. Target Recognition Range: 2200 meters Weight: 3.9 pounds Operational Time: 6.5 – 18 hours (6 Lithium AAs) Field of View: 3 degrees/9 degrees (narrow/wide) Magnification: 10x/3.3x (narrow/wide) The use of AA batteries, instead of the TWS- I sights’ proprietary military batteries, is a ve ry large and important change. Even in war zones, AA batteries are often available in local shops, giving units in the field more options to keep their gear going. The medium and heavy sights interface with a variety of 26mm, 52mm, 62mm, 103mm, 150mm and 156mm telescopes. Menu-based, push-button controls are used for operating reticle selection and adjustment, polarity, and brightness, while drop- in upgrades are meant to help ‘future proof’ the sights by making upgrades simpler.
IOC: 1998 Also Known As: AN/PAS-13C and AN/PAS-13E Origin: United States of America Contractor/s: Raytheon Description: The AN/APS-13 Thermal Weapon Sight is a second generation FLIR for use on rifles, surveillance missions and shoulder-launched missiles. The PAS-13 can be used to see in total darkness, in adverse weather conditions, and through battlefield smoke and dust. The TWS provides interchangeable telescopes for quick adaptation to any mission. It has video output and has been selected as the sight for the US Army's Land Warrior program. The combat-proven PAS-13 thermal sight is electronically programmable, requires no visible light to operate and will not shut down when hit by direct light. It is lightest enough to be hand-held operated. There are three PAS-13 variants the Light, Medium and Heavy, the LTWS, MTWS and HTWS respectively. The AN/PAS-13 LTWS can be installed on the M4, M16, M203 and M136 weapons. Deliveries to the US Army began in 1998 with the Thermal Omnibus contract, with more than 12,500 units already delivered to the US Army, US Marine Corps and Special Operations Forces. In 2004, the US
Army placed four orders (3+1) worth $201 million ($165 million + $36 million) covering deliveries of 11,812 (9,956 + 1,856) in support of US military troops deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. With the current contracts, Raytheon will have delivered more than 27,000 light, medium and heavy TWS. Parent system is the AN/PAS-13 TWS Total Production: 40,400 Production Cost: USD$563 million Other Family Members: AN/PAS-13B(2) MTWS and AN/PAS-13B(3) HTWS Transactions: There are 1 transactions involving 5,000 items for AN/PAS-13 TWS from 2007 to 2012 and 1 transactions involving 1,666 items for the AN/PAS-13 LTWS view report
Performance Max Detection Range: 600 meter Time Battery Life: 7 hour Weight Weight: 1.40 kilogram
