Cover image: Strike Gear USA (Instagram)
During SHOT Show 2024, Strike Industries has revealed a functional prototype of the Hexion Siclops multispectral sight, which the manufacturer's optics department, Hexion Tech, is working on.
For people that follow the thermal and night vision market, this product may resemble the DRS-TH solution prepared one of the competing companies, Holosun, which will soon be available on the market. However, these devices differ in finish details, operation method and technical specifications. Hexion Siclops is closer in its design to the DRS-TH Pro model, which haven't seen much spotlight recently. Referring to the statement of the user Holosun_Josh posted four months ago on Reddit, after refining the DRS-TH thermal imager, the Pro version didn't seem worth the price difference and won't enter the market anytime soon.
The hope for filling this niche is placed in Hexion Siclops, which has been in development for six months. A similar concept of both sights and the coinciding time of the events mentioned above may raise questions about the team of people that is behind the new project. However, from our perspective, the entry of another player into the thermal imaging market is a good thing. Especially since, according to the announcement, the product made by Strike Industries will have the highest resolution of this type of hybrid devices.
One can turn a blind eye to this last statement, and assume that Strike Industries forgot for a moment about the existence of the FAH25 made by InfiRay.
The Hexion Siclops is a solution that combines a refelx sight and a thermal imager in one device. The prototype from Strike Industries is equipped with a thermal sensor with a resolution of 384x288 pixels (12 μm) with a sensitivity of NETD ≤40 mK.
The sight can operate in one of three thermal imaging modes: fusion with a red dot sight, highlighting the warmest objects, and outlining the contours themselves. Advanced AI algorithms are responsible for their correct recognition. The image is superimposed on the optical channel of the red dot sight, which is based on an OLED screen and is refreshed at a frequency of 50 Hz. The optics used together with the sensor allow for detection of an object the size of a human from a distance exceeding 400 meters.
Among the additional features and functions of the sight, it is worth mentioning the possibility of changing the reticle in the red dot sight, recording videos and photos from the thermal imaging layer (on a Micro SD card), the presence of a motion sensor that automatically puts the device into sleep mode and wakes it up, a separate red dot sight battery (CR2032), as well as support for rechargeable equivalents of CR123 batteries (two of them power the thermal imager). Ultimately, the product is to be protected against the adverse effects of dust and water in the high IP67 standard.
According to the manufacturer's preliminary estimates, the price of Hexion Siclops should be around 1,000 USD. However, this declaration should be not be taken at face value. The Hexion Tech department still has a lot of work to do on the prototype, and one of the priorities is to reduce the size of the device.
