Narrow your range

Observation, recording and reporting are a significant part of what forward observers and reconnaissance/sniper teams do. Their activities are essential to the intelligence-gathering process and pre-planning that goes into a successful kinetic operation.

Having a lightweight, rugged, compact, fast and accurate ranging device is extremely important; unfortunately, while there's certainly no shortage of laser rangefinders available to the warfighter, all laser rangefinders are not created equal. One must generally compromise on size and weight to gain performance, making the selection process difficult.

Target acquired: a gap in the market

Recognising the need for high-performance pocket laser rangefinders, Vectronix, based in Switzerland, introduced a line of compact mil-spec products in 2001, and the pocket laser rangefinder (PLRF25C) was introduced at the DSEI 2011 exhibition at the most compact mil-spec pocket laser rangefinder on the market.

It is a professional's tool, offering snipers, forward observers, reconnaissance teams and well-heeled marksmen a powerful piece of kit with range performance of up to 6,000m and a weight of 500g.

If the only thing the PLRF25C could do is measure line-of-sight distances, it would still be a piece of kit worth acquiring; however, prospective buyers will be glad to know that it goes beyond basic range-finding.

Beginning with the optics, the PLRF25C offers exceptional clarity and resolution from its six times magnification. It automatically accounts for the inclination angle and provides its user with the equivalent horizontal distance. The device performs this calculation automatically, so there is no need for additional computation by the user.

The PLRF25C will also calculate the vertical distance 'V' from the horizontal plane to the point of aim, as well as provide the azimuth to the aiming point using the internal electronic compass. If that's not enough, it will give the operator the distance between two points measured on the horizontal plane.

Putting the PLRF25C to the test

Once the green light was received to test and evaluate Vectronix's PLRF25C, a considerable amount of time was spent structuring a test scenario that would be a reliable indicator of performance; lazing steel plates at unknown ranges would not be enough.

The approach used closely resembled what a reconnaissance team or forward observer is likely to encounter in preparation for, or during, a kinetic operation, and involved long spans of water in bright light.

An operator will be confronted with potential targets that are extremely difficult to laze, such as distant targets with low reflectivity, but there was nothing the PLRF25C could not range in a second or two, at most, within its performance envelope, including aircraft in flight. Ranging at night worked equally well.

The ergonomics on the PLRF25C are also superb. The unit can be completely configured and operated using the push of a button and just one hand. It is also water-resistant at depths of up to 1m, with an optional increase of up to 10m available.

At 131×88×56mm in size, the PLRF25C is not going to fit in your Armani jeans' pocket, but it does fit into a small MOLLE (modular, lightweight, load-carrying equipment) pouch. Finally, with more than 5,000 measurements on a single CR123 battery - although mileage may vary - it is well worth the $8,000 price tag.