While good eyesight and a steady hand have always been crucial in marksmanship, there have been plenty of tools that have given the shooter an edge. One of the most important could be the "Holographic Weapons Sights" (HWS) developed by Michigan-based EOTech.

Back in 1996, the company – which evolved from a non-profit research institute – first developed a prototype holographic-based weapon sight for use in U.S. Army helicopter gunships and anti-aircraft artillery systems. Then in 1993 ERIM formed the Michigan Development Corporation (MDC) to commercialize technology that could be spun off as for-profit subsidiaries and in 1995 this lead to the creation of EOTech.

This led to the first-generation HWS, which was marked under the trade name Bushnell HoloSight – a product that won the Optic of the Year Award from the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence. In 2001 the military and law enforcement communities adopted the HWS sights, and in 2005 Special Operations (SOCOM) and the United States Marine Corps chose HWS as their standard close combat optic.

Advantages of HWS

The primary advantage of HWS is that it provides an extremely fast and easy target acquisition for operators in the field, and this includes both eyes open for engagement, which allows for full peripheral vision and situational awareness – something that is crucial for those in combat situations. The sight's anti-reflective coatings and flat front window further minimize image distortion and muzzle side reflection, while the sights also offer optimal off-axis usage when proper cheek weld or sight alignment isn't possible.

HWS technology has an advantage over standard "Red Dot" sights – the latter utilizing an LED light source and reflex sight. The HWS system instead is built around a laser diode, folding mirror, collimating reflector and holographic grating. The holographic reticle can even continue to function when the window is broken or obscured, something no other sight can do.

The HWS also utilizes a "Speed Ring" reticle, so that the outside to outside of the circle equals a 5-foot 9-inch man at 100 yards. The all-weather sights are water-resistant to thee to 10 meters depending on model, and will perform in temperatures ranging from -4ºF to 1224ºF.

Unlike most Red Dot sights, HWS is also night vision-compatible, offers a wide field-of-view, even when used with a helmet or weapon-mounted night-vision devices. An NV toggle button also allows operators to instantly switch from NV to daylight to the last setting used. The sights offer adjustable reticle brightness with 30 settings for NV models and 20 for all non-NV models.

Commitment to Quality

The Southeast Michigan company was acquired in 2005 by L3 Technologies, one the world's largest defense contractors with more than $9.6 billion in sales in 2017. EOTech is also the only consumer facing division and it currently operates out of a 30,000 square foot facility that is truly a mix of traditional assembly line production utilizing skills workers with high-tech quality control to produce truly cutting edge products.

Part of the Michigan-based company's commitment to quality was to repair its reputation and trust with customers following the civil fraud lawsuit that involved defective rifle sights. That included parent company L3 Technologies paying $25.6 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the defense firm of reportedly knowingly selling optics that failed in extreme temperatures and humid weather conditions. In 2017 the company even held a voluntary buyback of sights, and the defective products were then sent to be crushed and destroyed.

EOTech was awarded a $26.3 million five-year contract from the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) to provide close-quarters sights and clip-on magnifiers for the Miniature Aiming System–Day Optics suite.

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com.