If I ever needed such a thing, I'd mount a short widefield scope on top of my high magnification targeting scope. Then both would be optimized for their respective tasks, and I could change in the literal blink of an eye.

But it's not about that, as we both know.

Do infantrymen ever buy or get issued stuff like this? I was under the impression that Cool New Rifle Tech like Mr Eyeball Scope here was mostly intended to be sold to civilian hobbyists and retirees, and/or dick around eating up DARPA grant money. I imagine the DoD would take ages to deploy this, even if (especially if?) it actually worked, and most 11Bs with some money to blow on rifle bling and enough leeway from the brass to get away with modifying their firearm would think the same way you do. Surely?

Sandia National Labs does a lot of work for private industry as well as the government, and they're actually funded by the DOE, not DOD.

When my dad worked there he did some really cool projects for the FAA and FDA and private industry (that he could talk about), and a shit-ton of stuff he couldn't talk about or even hint about what technologies were involved.

Given that he was an optical engineer and only retired about a year ago, it wouldn't surprise me if he'd at least heard about this project.

Dude, you can't fit two scopes without wasting a perk and dropping a sidearm, it's a total waste you fucking nub.

HURF DURF YOU LOVE GUNS HURRRR

What's wrong with loving guns, Gmork?

Homer, stuff like this would probably only be issued to SOF guys. Once/if it hits the market, I don't think there's anything to prevent a grunt from buying it and bringing it on deployment, unless the brass puts out an order against it for whatever reason (as they've done with numerous dubious pieces of Gucci gear, like Dragon Scale armor back in the day). I could see an SDM (squad-designated marksman) in an infantry squad getting one MAYBE, but only if it's durable enough to weather the assorted shenanigans of a typical mission. I did a brief hitch as a replacement SDM in autumn of '05 before I was rotated back to door-kicking, and my M68 mounted on an M16A4 worked just fine (though most SDMs of that era had some sort of relatively big-ass scope with a weird glowstick-looking tube on the side, whose name now escapes me, plus a nifty spring-loaded bipod system).

Gmork, I don't think many sensible people LOVE guns, especially not people on this site, but if your job entails combat, they're a necessary tool. I don't even keep one in the house, and I'll either use whatever's standard-issue or rent when I go overseas. You learn to appreciate guns when you use them to stop other people from hurting you or innocent civilians. Guns are morally neutral; loving them is a sickness, but abjuring them altogether is a big mistake when so many bad guys have them.

Also, whoever came up with the name RAZAR was clearly enjoying themselves.