Stelios Kanavakis

Senior Defence Analyst

Steiner, a member of the BDT Group, is showcasing at Eurosatory 2018 its latest addition in its range of long-range scopes, but with the addition of a ballistic calculator, making a sniper’s life easier. The M7 and M8 Xi IFS.

 
A view of the picture the sniper sees, along with the fire solution of the ballistic calculator (left) and the scope (right) (Picture source Army Recognition)

The products were launched in the market in March 2018 and there are discussions with undisclosed customers for their procurement in the near future.

The scopes were developed based on the great success the M5X saw while used in combat with the Special Forces around the world. The company saw a demand in the market for a scope with greater capabilities and that led to the design of the new scopes.

Steiner Μ8Xi IFS has a magnification of 1-8x24 with field of 4.8-34.2. Ruggedisation is an area that has received special attention and the scopes are backed by Steiner’s 10-year warranty for the optical parts and a two-year warranty for the electronics. 

The M8Xi’s weight is 900 gr. and its length 281 mm., while the M7Xi’s is 1.150 gr. and 390 mm. respectively. They both operate with either a AA or CR2032 battery.

The most important feature of the news scopes is the Intelligent Firing Solution or simply IFS. It is an integrated customizable display that provides all the necessary information to the user, in real-time. The IFS has a built-in Ballistic Calculator and Sensor Suite that can determine the bullet’s point of impact, taking into consideration temperature, air pressure, inclination and wind drift.

The ballistic calculator having processed the information provided by the user shows the exact point of impact of the ammunition, thus offering a firing solution to the sniper.

The company is also developing a smartphone application that will allow the sniper to input data, to set-up the IFS, and transfer them with bluetooth connectivity.