SA80 SUSAT question

[Steve Andrews]

Does anybody know what the small box that some susat's have attached to the left are?
I left in 94 and these things are more recent than that....

[Royal]

Photo? The only thing I can think of is part of the ISAWES optics...

[Chris1]

http://www.operations.mod.uk/telic/images/ops/styx_basrah.jpg
Box on the right hand side of the SUSAT I think he means.

[Steve Andrews]

Chris, that's it! What is it?

[DeltaWhisky58]

Hi Guys

I think the small box that Steve is asking about could be the cordless pressel switch for the PRR - Personal Role Radio - I have seen this mounted in various places on the SA80 - Left and right sides of the forend, or the SUSAT as pictured here.

Have a look at this link http://www.daviescomms.co.uk/body_prr.html

http://www.daviescomms.co.uk/images/gun3.jpg

However..........the photo above is not very clear.

I noticed another rectangular fitting on the LHS of an SA80's SUSAT on last night's final edition of "Fighting the War" and was going to post about it. That certainly wasn't the pressel switch - it was roughly square in cross section and appeared to have a lens at the front end - I have no idea what it was - Any ideas......?

[Chris1]

Chris, that's it! What is it?
alas I have been told but cannot remember.
Someone must know though.

[DeltaWhisky58]

The more I look at this picture, the more I think that it is the remote radio pressel - it isn't anywhere else on his weapon so I reckon that's it on the SUSAT.

The Styx anti-ship missile in the background looks mean - good job the Iraqis didn't get too many of those off.................

[Steve Andrews]

I don't think it's a pressel switch. I couldn't think of a worse place to put one.

[Steve Andrews]

I'm thinking either Laser Target Marker or Rifle Launched Grenade Sight....

[Gringo]

I've seen this device before. I believe it is an aiming device for the "Bullet Catcher" rifle grenade.

[Chris1]

got to agree with steve here DW, can't say mounting the switch on the scope would be a good idea, as well as it appears to be the slightly larger than the switch
Laser Target Marker rings a bell

[DeltaWhisky58]

I don't think it's a pressel switch. I couldn't think of a worse place to put one.

I also go with that idea, however as this guy has a PRR - pouch high in the webbing yoke, where is the pressel switch? Personally I'd have mine on the forend somewhere, so where is the switch in this picture?

The other two ideas make sense, but the pressel has to be somewhere.......like this..............

http://www.operations.mod.uk/telic/images/ops/1st_royal_regt_fusiliers2.jpg

[D.E. Watters]

It looks like a "Ring Sight" to me, probably for use when launching grenades. This is a solid block of glass with an engraved reticle and a small tritium light source. The company makes a similiar sight for use with the HK AG36/AG-C. The best known application is the reflex sight mounted on the FN P90.

[Steve Andrews]

The guy in Chris's pic has something taped under the handguard, just infront of his left hand. It is more likely that this is a pressel. I am convinced that the device on the susat is not a radio pressel. In time this will be proved....

[DeltaWhisky58]

The "Grenade Sight" sounds pretty credible to me, however I have downloaded the picture in question as high-res from the MoD "Op. Telic" website http://www.operations.mod.uk/telic/index.htm and isolated and enhanced the two areas of the picture in question, namely the SUSAT sight, and the forend.

1. SUSAT Sight:

http://images.photobox.co.uk/public/images/65/33/3986533.s.jpg?ch=1

2. Forend:

http://images.photobox.co.uk/public/images/65/34/3986534.s.jpg?ch=1

These images (apologies for poor quality) show that the item clipped to the SUSAT sight unit apears to be fixed by means of a wrap-around bracket going over the top of the sight unit. Along with Steve Andrews, I am now convinced that this is not a radio pressel swith. So that leaves the question where is the pressel for his PRR which is clearly on his LBV in the picture.

The item taped to the forend is a plastic squeezey bottle with flip cap - possibly oil or insect repellant or similar, certainly not the pressel for the soldier's PRR, but of course it could be located elsewhjere out of sight - it should be mounted on black tape with velcro fastenings.

[Herrmannek]

This guy puts strange things on his rifle like "underbarrel sun tane oil launcher", mayby this atached to optics is a "coaxial cigarete holder"

[Steve Andrews]

DeltaWhiskey58, good spot! It's a DPK bottle which would originally have been filled with Fuller's Earth for decontamination purposes. When I was in most guys used them as oil bottles because they did not leak like the issued one.

[wulfstan]

Does he really need all those pens?

[D.E. Watters]

Ring Sight: LC-9-46-RGGS (NSN: 1240-99-321-5743)

http://www.ringsights.com/products/LC-9-46-RGGS.htm

[Steve Andrews]

Cheers Watters! I'm glad that's cleared up. When I was in Northern Ireland I carried our team's RLG's. We had a small flip-up sight which replaced the rear section of the emergency battle sight above the SUSAT.
I carried HEAT grenades, there was intelligence that the IRA had constructed an improvised armoured vehicle. Unfortunately I never got to meet it. I would have loved to have smacked a few HEAT grenades into it!!
The ring sight looks like an improvement over the old flip-up job.

mmmmm rifle launched grenades.......one thing I miss about the army!
There's fearsome recoil from the bullet-trap RLG. A few guys split their brows open in training because they didn't leave enough eye relief.