February 21, 2008:
The British Army is
buying 700 J-TAS (Joint-Target Acquisition Systems) that will enable troops to
quickly identify and precisely locate targets. J-TAS looks like large binoculars,
and weighs eight pounds. But the system contains a thermal imager as well as
binocular optics, and can be used on targets up to five kilometers away. J-TAS
has a laser rangefinder and GPS, plus a computer that does all the calculations
needed to provide a precise location for artillery or smart bombs. Each J-TAS
costs about $85,000.