Despite a legal settlement with the manufacturer, U.S. Special Operations forces continue to use rifle sights that are defective and could be a risk to their lives in a combat situation,
The Washington Post reports.
Still, the sights have not been recalled or replaced and are still in use by Navy SEALs, Army Green Berets, Marine Corps Special Operation units and parts of Delta Force and SEAL Team Six, Navy Cmdr. Matthew Allen told the Post.
The company says it has repaired most of the issues raised by the government, but not the most concerning – something called thermal drift, which occurs when the sights are exposed to extreme changes in temperature, such as occur in Afghanistan.
Thermal drift can cause the crosshairs to be six to 12 inches off target at 300 feet – a common distance in combat. That can mean the difference between a kill and a miss, and a miss could result in the death of shooter if the enemy is then able to fire back.
EOTech says on its website that there is "no repair currently available to eliminate thermal drift," adding, "If your HWS experiences a degree of thermal drift that is unacceptable to you . . . please contact EOTech . . . to obtain a refund of the purchase price."
Though the military is still using the sights, the Denver Police Department took them off its weapons soon after the lawsuit was settled.
The problem was first noticed by the Norwegian military in winter 2007, according to court documents. EOTech attempted to repair the problem, but didn't notified the U.S. military until spring 2008 when it said it had a solution.
But the company claimed it had "not received a single report of a problem from the field regarding optical performance of the sight at cold temperature," and did not mention the Swiss military's complaint.
Other manufacturers make similar sights, which project a holographic crosshair image, and some government agencies, including the FBI, do not use EOTech's sights.
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