I feel that since these two optics are currently the pinnacle for LR DOD grade uncooled LWIR devices, that there should be a discussion on the strengths and limitations of each unit. Both are expensive units that are hard to get your hands on so I believe that getting out as much info on each is important.
LWTS-LR
The Good
The best feature that the LR brings to the table is it's versatility. It is a true multi-use unit.
The LR is an outstanding stand alone unit with multiple reticles driven by mil-contracts. M24, M4 (simple crosshair dot), M107 MK19 etc that all range with magnification. Each reticle retains its zero profile so you can assign different rifles to particular reticles. Stadia lines for a man size target(easily converts to 4 legged creatures) are available on each screen. The scope features a unique approach to screen size/visibility ....when in stand alone mode the optic is @ a 2x "near FOV " When changed to clip on mode the unit reduces the video display by .5x while keeping the original full fov of the sensor. The net result is a 1x unity image on a reduced display ( more on this mode later). For stand alone weapon mount mode the available zoom levels are 2x NFOV, 4x WFOV and a 6x 3fov all of which stay incredibly clear under zoom( SEE VIDEO BELOW OF 2x 4x 6x). There is no other stand alone optic on the market I would pick up and use for a LR engagement before the LWTS-LR.
The buttons for most of the commonly used functions ( brightness gain polarity zoom) are external and have indexing features that allow you to access the correct one without looking. The menu is very straight forward and easy to navigate.
Non Uniform Calibration is either totally automatic or can be disabled / triggered manually. I really like the auto nuc feature when using a unit on a clip on with a larger day optic. Unless you have go go gadget monkey arms you’d have to come off of the rifle for a manual cover the lens NUC.
Eyepiece centerline height on the LR is 1.55 inches which is right in line with NV industry standard so most of you other clip ons 24,30 etc will be spot on as far as matching your day optic. (again some of the other optics are less sensitive to centerline height discrepancies but taking variables out of the equation is always a good thing)
The unit that I have been running for 6 months has been spot on as far as POI shift when running the optic in clip on mode. Most customers have reported the same.
50 cal rated unit that has an impressive run time. I’ve run the unit on 338 lapua and norma and never had it flinch.
The Ehhh
There are a few things that I’m kind of lukewarm about.
The focus control is extremely stiff on the LWTS-LR. Not helping the situation is the fact that the focus ring is a smallish diameter and there is nothing to grab. I fond it so difficult that I had custom throw levers made to mitigate the issue. The flip side is that you should never have the focus move under recoil etc and the manual says there is no need to adjust focus past 170 meters ( I’d say more like 300 in my use but there is a large sweet spot.)
Clip on mode is only usable for me up to around 10x. The display in my estimation is around 900 pixels horizontal so when the unit is switched to clip on mode the 640 sensor is sending that data to a 450ish pixel display. Still a very usable image on lower magnifications but the imaging leaves a lot to be desired beyond 7x or so. Detection range is nearly identical to the UTC but the display is the limitation in real world usage. I have had several customers tell me that they have used the LR up to 14x after ID to make successful kills on coyotes etc. To be fair the LWTS-LR was designed to be used in clip on mode with ACOGs up to 6x. Sometime when you are a jack of several trades certain modes can be limited.
The Ugly
30 hz units save on power consumption and there is a school of thought that they deliver a better image as 60hz is sometimes artificially overlaid…..I have seen different sides of the latter argument. I do think that there are far more benefits to have the option of 50 or 60 hz in dynamic environments. It would be nice to at least have the option between 30 and 60 like the UTC.
At well over thirty ounces the LR feels like it could be used as a striking weapon. It’s long size and heavy weight makes your heavy LR platform feel like an anvil and it is definitely a draw back to the unit.
Auto Gain Control seems to make the image less than Ideal for me under most instances. I’m always having to turn it off and adjust the manual gain.
UTC Xii
The Good
The image quality under day optic magnification is just unreal. The fact that the full display is used ( and reduced to 1x unity via rear eyepiece) to project a 6 degree FOV over a high res display puts a bunch of pixels on target. 16x DO mag is still extremely usable for ID and 20x for taking a shot is not a problem.
The UTC Xii is extremely small and lightweight due to having a 12 micron sensor and 2x battery compartment. It was the very first thing I noticed when playing with the optic. Barely bigger than a fist and almost the same size as the short range L3 CRATOS. The focus control is easy to turn but not too loose. … it has raised levers that are easy to grab. The size and weight make the UTC Xii feel at home on a lightweight AR or a 16 LB Accuracy International.
The UTC has the ability to change the refresh rate from 30 – 60 hz. I have found the best image quality with these units at 60 hz but it is nice to be able to change it for battery consumption. The UTC Xii ships with both a video cable and a USB/download cable that allows for an external USB power bank to be used for power.
I really like the ability to link to RAPTAR-S and the overlay of heading/pitch/roll you can turn on.
The Ehhh
The fact that these are manual NUC is a little bit of a bummer. It is not the end of the world because these units are pretty short but it still requires some shifting to reach up and cover the lens and hold down the button. I have not had to perform the long cal yet that these units require when a large temp differential is introduced.
The reason they picked a 1.31 inch optical centerline is above my pay grade but I’m sure they had their reasons. Unfortunately I have found these units to be a little sensitive to aligning your day optic height wise. 1.5 is a several inch POI shift for me and 1.42 was about an inch. I do have a 1.34 inch spuhr I will test it on soon. The shift is repeatable but life would be easier as an end user if they made the UTC series at 1.5 inches like everything else. 1st world problems!
The menus are not bad but I do like the simplicity of the LR much better. I’m sure it can be changed but I’m constantly having the menu time out while trying to figure out what to select…..more time on unit will help that.
I’m not exactly sure what the recoil rating is on these. I have been told by the folks in charge that it “should be 50 bmg” but the only document I remember seeing it in officially was an old BAE pdf that shows 300wm. Would be nice if it was official somewhere but considering the limited run on these I don’t see that happening.
The Ugly
Unit can realistically only be used as a dedicated clip on if that matters at all to you. …
Not much to say here except price and availability.
CONCLUSION
Bottom line is if you want the most spectacular clip on available to civi right now the UTCX ii is it...buy one you will not regret it. If the idea of a multi use unit with a very capable yet lower mag clip on function is appealing to you can save 7ish thousand dollars and grab a LWTS-LR.
The limited availability of the UTCX ii units is well noted. As military contracts are coming to an end the LWTS series may be reaching the end of the road as well. If you think you may want one of these units my strong advice would be to grab one while you can.
I will keep adding to this and end users please chime in with your experiences.
LWTS-LR
The Good
The best feature that the LR brings to the table is it's versatility. It is a true multi-use unit.
The LR is an outstanding stand alone unit with multiple reticles driven by mil-contracts. M24, M4 (simple crosshair dot), M107 MK19 etc that all range with magnification. Each reticle retains its zero profile so you can assign different rifles to particular reticles. Stadia lines for a man size target(easily converts to 4 legged creatures) are available on each screen. The scope features a unique approach to screen size/visibility ....when in stand alone mode the optic is @ a 2x "near FOV " When changed to clip on mode the unit reduces the video display by .5x while keeping the original full fov of the sensor. The net result is a 1x unity image on a reduced display ( more on this mode later). For stand alone weapon mount mode the available zoom levels are 2x NFOV, 4x WFOV and a 6x 3fov all of which stay incredibly clear under zoom( SEE VIDEO BELOW OF 2x 4x 6x). There is no other stand alone optic on the market I would pick up and use for a LR engagement before the LWTS-LR.
The buttons for most of the commonly used functions ( brightness gain polarity zoom) are external and have indexing features that allow you to access the correct one without looking. The menu is very straight forward and easy to navigate.
Non Uniform Calibration is either totally automatic or can be disabled / triggered manually. I really like the auto nuc feature when using a unit on a clip on with a larger day optic. Unless you have go go gadget monkey arms you’d have to come off of the rifle for a manual cover the lens NUC.
Eyepiece centerline height on the LR is 1.55 inches which is right in line with NV industry standard so most of you other clip ons 24,30 etc will be spot on as far as matching your day optic. (again some of the other optics are less sensitive to centerline height discrepancies but taking variables out of the equation is always a good thing)
The unit that I have been running for 6 months has been spot on as far as POI shift when running the optic in clip on mode. Most customers have reported the same.
50 cal rated unit that has an impressive run time. I’ve run the unit on 338 lapua and norma and never had it flinch.
The Ehhh
There are a few things that I’m kind of lukewarm about.
The focus control is extremely stiff on the LWTS-LR. Not helping the situation is the fact that the focus ring is a smallish diameter and there is nothing to grab. I fond it so difficult that I had custom throw levers made to mitigate the issue. The flip side is that you should never have the focus move under recoil etc and the manual says there is no need to adjust focus past 170 meters ( I’d say more like 300 in my use but there is a large sweet spot.)
Clip on mode is only usable for me up to around 10x. The display in my estimation is around 900 pixels horizontal so when the unit is switched to clip on mode the 640 sensor is sending that data to a 450ish pixel display. Still a very usable image on lower magnifications but the imaging leaves a lot to be desired beyond 7x or so. Detection range is nearly identical to the UTC but the display is the limitation in real world usage. I have had several customers tell me that they have used the LR up to 14x after ID to make successful kills on coyotes etc. To be fair the LWTS-LR was designed to be used in clip on mode with ACOGs up to 6x. Sometime when you are a jack of several trades certain modes can be limited.
The Ugly
30 hz units save on power consumption and there is a school of thought that they deliver a better image as 60hz is sometimes artificially overlaid…..I have seen different sides of the latter argument. I do think that there are far more benefits to have the option of 50 or 60 hz in dynamic environments. It would be nice to at least have the option between 30 and 60 like the UTC.
At well over thirty ounces the LR feels like it could be used as a striking weapon. It’s long size and heavy weight makes your heavy LR platform feel like an anvil and it is definitely a draw back to the unit.
Auto Gain Control seems to make the image less than Ideal for me under most instances. I’m always having to turn it off and adjust the manual gain.
UTC Xii
The Good
The image quality under day optic magnification is just unreal. The fact that the full display is used ( and reduced to 1x unity via rear eyepiece) to project a 6 degree FOV over a high res display puts a bunch of pixels on target. 16x DO mag is still extremely usable for ID and 20x for taking a shot is not a problem.
The UTC Xii is extremely small and lightweight due to having a 12 micron sensor and 2x battery compartment. It was the very first thing I noticed when playing with the optic. Barely bigger than a fist and almost the same size as the short range L3 CRATOS. The focus control is easy to turn but not too loose. … it has raised levers that are easy to grab. The size and weight make the UTC Xii feel at home on a lightweight AR or a 16 LB Accuracy International.
The UTC has the ability to change the refresh rate from 30 – 60 hz. I have found the best image quality with these units at 60 hz but it is nice to be able to change it for battery consumption. The UTC Xii ships with both a video cable and a USB/download cable that allows for an external USB power bank to be used for power.
I really like the ability to link to RAPTAR-S and the overlay of heading/pitch/roll you can turn on.
The Ehhh
The fact that these are manual NUC is a little bit of a bummer. It is not the end of the world because these units are pretty short but it still requires some shifting to reach up and cover the lens and hold down the button. I have not had to perform the long cal yet that these units require when a large temp differential is introduced.
The reason they picked a 1.31 inch optical centerline is above my pay grade but I’m sure they had their reasons. Unfortunately I have found these units to be a little sensitive to aligning your day optic height wise. 1.5 is a several inch POI shift for me and 1.42 was about an inch. I do have a 1.34 inch spuhr I will test it on soon. The shift is repeatable but life would be easier as an end user if they made the UTC series at 1.5 inches like everything else. 1st world problems!
The menus are not bad but I do like the simplicity of the LR much better. I’m sure it can be changed but I’m constantly having the menu time out while trying to figure out what to select…..more time on unit will help that.
I’m not exactly sure what the recoil rating is on these. I have been told by the folks in charge that it “should be 50 bmg” but the only document I remember seeing it in officially was an old BAE pdf that shows 300wm. Would be nice if it was official somewhere but considering the limited run on these I don’t see that happening.
The Ugly
Unit can realistically only be used as a dedicated clip on if that matters at all to you. …
Not much to say here except price and availability.
CONCLUSION
Bottom line is if you want the most spectacular clip on available to civi right now the UTCX ii is it...buy one you will not regret it. If the idea of a multi use unit with a very capable yet lower mag clip on function is appealing to you can save 7ish thousand dollars and grab a LWTS-LR.
The limited availability of the UTCX ii units is well noted. As military contracts are coming to an end the LWTS series may be reaching the end of the road as well. If you think you may want one of these units my strong advice would be to grab one while you can.
I will keep adding to this and end users please chime in with your experiences.
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