Weapons: Mighty Mite of a Night Sight

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July 22, 2007: The U.S. Marine Corps has ordered 10,000 more AN/PVS-17 night sights. This is a light intensifier sight, not a thermal imager. It has a range of 300 meters and 2.24x magnification. It weighs two pounds, is waterproof, and a single AA battery powers it for about 36 hours. In 2003, there were problems with the sight, as it would sometimes shut down when the weapon (usually a M-16, or light machine-gun) was fired. This problem was not completely solved until last year. Each sight costs about $7,000. There is an extended version with 4.5x magnification and a range of about 500 meters. The new sights will be delivered over the next three years.