What Laser Sight Does The Military Use?

This is a question that a lot of people wonder about, especially considering that every other action movie or modern military movie features a stealth team of commandos using red laser sights. So let’s get down to answering the question: what laser sight does the military use? (I’ll restrict this to talking about the U.S. military)

Does the military use laser sights like we see in the movies?

So first of all, by and large, most infantrymen in the U.S. military whether it’s the Marines or Army, DON’T get issued a laser sight for their weapon (the M4 carbine).

The main reason why our military doesn’t standard issue laser sights is that they are expensive and largely unnecessary considering most routine operations occur during the daytime hours. That’s not to say that some lasers can’t be seen during the daytime such as green lasers, but it’s usually not the best tactical advantage to rely on them during the day.

The second reason is that laser sights are costly – some can go for as much as $200-$300.  Equipping every soldier with a laser sight would be quite expensive.

What Military Members Do Get Laser Sights?

More than likely, special operations teams do use laser sights for special operations. These special tactical teams likely use laser sights with momentary switches so that the laser is not always on so that they don’t give away their position.

Want to see some examples of these kinds of laser sights? Check out our guide to the best laser sights for AR-15 for some suggestions.

Such special operations teams might be the Navy SEALs or Army Rangers.

How Does the Military Use Lasers?

Well, instead of using laser sights extensively, they oftentimes use laser designators instead. These lasers are used to point out things in the field such as buildings, personnel or vehicles. They are also used to point out objects for aerial aircraft to destroy.

Some examples of laser designators that the military uses are the AN/PAQ-4 or something called a GCP or Ground Commander’s Pointer. Some of these lasers can reach over 10 miles! What’s kind of cool about some of them is that they’re only visible with IR scopes so that you can use them at night without being detected.

IR scopes are one thing, but nightvision scopes are another. Actually, nightvision scopes are pretty popular, especially for hog hunters and AR-15 enthusiasts. Check out our guide to the best nightvision scopes here.

If you’re wondering, you can also buy laser designators on Amazon.

Summary

So there you have your answer. The Military does use laser sights although they’re not standard issue. The military does use lasers in general, although they use them more to designate targets for aircraft or other military personnel.

If you are looking for the best laser sight for your own personal use, jump on over to our homepage that is full of the best laser sight reviews.