--- title: "How a hunting optic became the world’s most popular military sight" description: "Adopted by the U.S. Army as the M68 Close Combat Optic, the Aimpoint Comp M2 saw extensive use in Iraq and Afghanistan." date: "2023-04-24" modified: "2023-04-24" authors: - name: "Miguel Ortiz" job_title: "Senior Contributor, Army Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/miguelortiz/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/tactical/aimpoint-comp-hunting-optic-most-popular-military-sight/" categories: - "Tactical" - "Weapons" --- # How a hunting optic became the world’s most popular military sight ![aimpoint]() In 1975, the Swedish company Aimpoint introduced their first red dot reflector electronic sight. With no magnification and a single-point reticle, it was designed for hunters to take low-probability, close-range shots on fast-moving game. The Aimpoint was even housed in a 30mm body, the same as most hunting scopes, so that hunters could easily install it on their existing scope rings. Of course, the same qualities that made the Aimpoint an excellent hunting optic also made it an [excellent combat optic](). ![operation acid gambit delta operators]() **Delta operators during Operation Acid Gambit. The operator on the far right has a legacy Aimpoint on his carbine (reddit.com/r/panama)** Close-range optics saw limited military adoption by Special Forces during the [Vietnam War]() with the Singlepoint Occluded Eye Gunsight. However, this fiber optic sight was unpowered, used a massive 16 MOA reticle and restricted a shooter's field of view as its name suggests. Still, it worked at close quarters and was faster than using traditional iron sights, especially at night. After the Aimpoint hit the market, Special Forces took notice. ![delta force operators in panama]() **Delta operators in Panama. The middle two operators have legacy Aimpoints mounted to their carbines.** During the 1980s, the elite operators of Delta Force adopted the Aimpoint 2000 electronic red dot sight. The Aimpoint 2000, as well as the updated 3000 and 5000 (which offered 2x magnification) models, saw action during [Operation Just Cause]() and through to [Operation ]()[Gothic]()[ Serpent](). Although the movie *[Black Hawk Down]()* depicts Delta operators using Aimpoints, they are anachronistic CompM2 models that were not in military service until the year 2000. ![aimpoint comp m2]() **An Aimpoint CompM2 M68CCO after it was shot by a sniper in Iraq, c. 2006 (U.S. Army)** Unlike previous models, the Aimpoint CompM series was designed specifically for the rigors of military service. Although the optic's body kept the 30mm size, its length was shortened to create a more rugged and durable product. Adopted by the U.S. Army as the [M68 Close Combat Optic](), the CompM2 saw extensive use in Iraq and Afghanistan where it earned a reputation for being nearly indestructible. Aimpoint has examples of optics that were shot and blown up that still function. ![aimpoint m68cco]() **An M68CCO on an M4 Carbine in Iraq, c. 2005 (Public Domain)** By August 2011, the U.S. Army purchased 1,000,000 M68CCOs. This included the CompM4, an improved version of the CompM2 that uses a more common AA battery, which was adopted under the M68 line. Speaking of batteries, in addition to their ruggedness and dependability, Aimpoints are famous for their long battery life. Although troops are regularly issued fresh batteries on deployment, the M68 has an average battery life of 10,000 hours of constant operation depending on the brightness level. Civilian users even popularized the practice of keeping an Aimpoint on all the time and replacing the battery once a year on their birthday or Christmas. ![aimpoint]() **Aimpoint offers industry-leading, constant-on battery life while still being more than daylight bright (Miguel Ortiz/WATM)** As more affordable red dots entered the market with features like auto-off with motion activation and solar power, Aimpoint brought a new development to the world of electronic sights. Rather than using one of the aforementioned features to increase battery life, they shrunk the LED. Generally, red dots use the smallest LED possible to create their reticle. However, these LEDs still have to be masked off to create dots as small as 4 MOA, resulting in wasted energy. Aimpoint managed to make their LED five times smaller. This resulted in an average battery life of 50,000 hours as well as new micro optics with 2 MOA dots. ![green berets with aimpoint micro t-2s]() **Green Berets train with Aimpoint Micro T-2s on their weapons (U.S. Army)** Although the military has started adopting more advanced optics like the [DVO]() and the [NGSW-FC](), the Aimpoint remains in heavy use by both conventional and Special Forces in the U.S. and around the world. Variable magnification and integrated ballistic computers are unquestionable force multipliers. However, it's hard to beat a traditional red dot for close-range speed and durability. *Feature Image: U.S. Special Operations Command Europe* ## Author Miguel Ortiz is a Senior Contributor for We Are The Mighty covering primarily military news and history with an emphasis on weapons technology. He is a former active duty Army officer and remains a member of the Army IRR. After commissioning through San Diego State University Army ROTC, Miguel served with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY. He has written for We Are The Mighty since 2020, drawing from his passion for the military community and history. Miguel’s work has also been seen on Business Insider and The Blast. He remains an avid shooter, competing in local USPSA matches. Miguel’s other hobbies are traveling and watch collecting. ### Author social links [LinkedIn]()