ID this military hardware please

[MrFloppy]

In the documentary Restrepo (excellent BTW), there is a scene near the end where the unit is firing down into the valley from the outpost. One of the soldiers is seated and looking into a big cube - like a sub captain into his periscope. The cube can be panned and tilted and the operator can see the various taliban members scattering as they are being shot at.

It seems a bit big just to be a pair of binoculars. Any idea what it is?

I took a screen shot and posted it here: http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa80/bmoresteve/Clipboard01-1.jpg

Laser targeting device maybe? I thought it may be an LRAD but I see nothing like it on a Google image search.

[Sailboat]

Military-grade Viewmaster?

[Laggard]

LRAS3

Long Range Advanced Scout Surveillance System

[lazybratsche]

So… what’s it do besides being a giant pair of binoculars?

[steronz]

@lazybratsche

So… what’s it do besides being a giant pair of binoculars?

WAG: laser rangefinders combined with an internal compass and GPS so they can lob in mortars or call in airstrikes with extreme precision.

[paperbackwriter]

This:

LRAS3 gear includes a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor (a camera that shows images according the heat given off, in other words, a thermal sight) , a GPS laser range finder system that calculates range and position of items (to within five meters) being observed, and a video cam. The visual sensors have high magnification, allowing distant objects to be identified. The system is usually mounted on the U.S. Army’s high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV), or used on a tripod if it has to be carried to places you can’t park a vehicle. LRAS3 can spot things 15 kilometers away, obtain GPS coordinates and transmit these to aircraft overhead, or artillery units or other units and headquarters. FLIR and video images can be transmitted as well.