Fort Belvoir, Va –
The team at Small Arms Fire Control (SAFC) has met a multitude of achievements in the last few months with their new Family of Weapon Sights-Sniper (FWS-S) system. The FWS-S system is mounted in-line with a sniper’s day optic on the M110A1 Squad Designated Marksman Rifle (SDMR) and the MK22 Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR). The FWS-S provides the sniper with infrared (thermal) imagery in all weather conditions, through obscurants, and under all lighting conditions.
The first milestone was achieved in November 2024 with the Full Material Release (FMR). The FMR confirms that the system is safe when operated within its stated parameters, has been fully tested, meets all operational requirements, and is suitable for employment by the Warfighter as well as logistically supportable within the environment it is intended to operate.
Following the FMR, the “Devils in Baggy Pants,” 1 st Brigade Combat Team, 82 nd Airborne Division, was the first unit to field and be trained on the FWS-S in December 2024. Following the 82 nd , two more units have received and been trained on the systems. The “Brave Rifles,” 3 rd Cavalry Regiment at Fort Hood, TX, and the “Ready First” 1 st Brigade Combat Team, 1 st Armored Division at Fort Bliss, TX.
The FWS-S achieved Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in April 2025. This milestone highlights the system’s operational capability of support, training, logistics, and system interoperability, as well as its capability of conducting mission operations. We would like to thank and congratulate everyone at Small Arms Fire Control, and everyone who assisted with reaching these milestones for their incredible work in delivering the best Small Arms Fire Control systems to the warfighter.