Sgt_Miller
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- 17 November 2019
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In the history of tank fire-control systems, there are mainly two ways of determining distance using onboard equipment: a.) using optical rangefinders and b.) using laser rangefinders. But it seems there are some examples of transitional rangefinding equipment, being more sophisticated than basic stereoscopic and coincidence rangefinders but notably less capable than laser rangefinders. In that niche category, I was most interested in T53 Optical Tracking, Acquisition, and Ranging (OPTAR) System.
According to its description, OPTAR is a rangefinder system that uses intense pulsed infrared light (but not coherent) to determine target distance. But such as the physics of incoherent light, they tend to scatter all over the place, creating multiple return signals. It is even worse in adverse weather conditions, such as mist and rain. The equipment was also considered more vulnerable to enemy fire than its optical rangefinder counterpart. Thus it was never been fielded in the US Army beyond field tests on the prototype T95 Medium in 1955-1957.
Although OPTAR's short description and history are available, I can't seem to find its further technical details for now. I'd be very happy if there were more information regarding the OPTAR system.
According to its description, OPTAR is a rangefinder system that uses intense pulsed infrared light (but not coherent) to determine target distance. But such as the physics of incoherent light, they tend to scatter all over the place, creating multiple return signals. It is even worse in adverse weather conditions, such as mist and rain. The equipment was also considered more vulnerable to enemy fire than its optical rangefinder counterpart. Thus it was never been fielded in the US Army beyond field tests on the prototype T95 Medium in 1955-1957.
Although OPTAR's short description and history are available, I can't seem to find its further technical details for now. I'd be very happy if there were more information regarding the OPTAR system.
