Itʼs now blatant how Airsoft is no longer just a “game”, although few people will want to admit that. The same persons, group or organizations who attack and denigrate Airsoft and MilSim enthusiasts in public often resort to the Airsoft industry behind the curtains to procure reliable, versatile and affordable training instruments for realistic “Force-on-Force” exercises. The Taiwan-based G&G Armament (Guay & Guay) company is in fact one of the most active industrial realities under this point of view. G&G was one of the first companies to fully understand the professional potential of Airsoft products and recently committed itself to come out with a high-technology training instrument that blends into Airsoft the best features of another, very similar “Force-on-Force” play, the Laser-Tag, or laser game. The result of its efforts, called the M.I.T., standing for “Military Intelligence Tracer Unit”, was first showcased to the public at the 2012 IWA Expo in Nuremberg, Germany.
The idea of coming out with an universal accessory rather than with a totally new product definitely brings along several commercial advantages for the company itself: less R&D and production time, quicker implementation of technologies. Same goes for end users: while Airsoft enthusiasts and gamers will definitely prefer to buy a cheaper accessory than an extremely expensive new replica gun, professional operators who might choose the “M.I.T. Unit” for training purposes will be able to dub it as a practice device for the usage of sound suppressors, as it realistically attaches to the muzzle of any Airsoft replica that comes equipped with a threaded barrel much like a real silencer. On a side note, the “M.I.T. Unit” might as well be used as a stand-in, or a preparatory device, for the use of the MILES (“Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System”), the laser-based Force-on-Force training system used by the United States Army on anything from handguns to tank cannons − thatʼs just to say how similar it is to the MILES and other similar laser-based training systems and devices in terms of concept and technology.
The “Multiple Integrated Tracer Unit” comes in the form of a fake tubular silencer, with a threaded rear end located just under the DC input port intended to recharge the unit's batteries when not in use. The “M.I.T. Unit” integrates a microchip-based calculator whose user interface is located on the left side of the cylinder and comprises a small back-lit blue-light display and four push buttons used to select and activate the various features and functions the Unit is capable to perform. The display keeps the user constantly posted with the battery charge status and with the type of selected feature that the “M.I.T. Unit” is performing at the time.
The “M.I.T. Unit” can perform four different tasks, all thanks to its net of internal sensors and laser-emitting diodes. The first, foremost and simpler of all is to act as a standard laser target/pointer designator, by emitting a visible red beam through a laser LED located right over the front end. The same device allows the “M.I.T. Unit” to act as a laser rangefinder, calculating the distance between the user and its intended target and reporting the measurements on the display.
The second and third features of the “M.I.T. Unit” are very similar each others, and will result useful both when testing a recently-acquired replica or in the midst of a skirmish: all 6mm BB pellets fired will be counted and their muzzle velocity will be measured; data will appear on the display as usual. This will help a skirmisher to keep fast count of remaining ammunition, and when trying out an AEG/ASG for the first time at the range, the user might take advantage of the muzzle velocity measurement option to decide what kind of BBs will be better for use with that specific replica.
The last, and definitely more intriguing, feature is dubbed the “BB Tracer”, and will only work with specially-manufactured BBs offered by the G&G Armament company itself as well as by third parties, such as the Japanese Tokyo Marui corporation. With the “BB Tracer” function activated, all BBs fired will be irradiated with laser just prior of leaving the “M.I.T. Unit”; this will illuminate said special BBs, thanks to the chemical formula of the plastic theyʼre made of, and they will be able to glow in the dark for a brief period of time, working just like real tracer ammunition which skirmishers might want to try as realistically as possible, so to speak, loading one tracer BB every five BBs overall. That would make up for a true “Force Multiplier” when skirmishing by night or in low environmental light conditions, and overall confirms the professional training potential of this great accessory, definitely the highest-technology gadget on the Airsoft market to date.
For further information
G&G Armament,
No.999 Zhonghua Rd., Shengang Township
Changhua County
50952 Taiwan R.O.C.
Tel.: +886-4798-9000
Fax: +886-4798-9900
