Ep. 51: Building Battle-Ready Optics for the U.S. Military

Before the early 80s, soldiers still used hunting-style riflescopes in combat. But in 1984, the U.S. Army tasked Leupold with developing a fixed power optic designed specifically for combat. The scope had to withstand a drop from a helicopter (while mounted to a rifle) and also had to be submersible to 66 feet - while still maintaining peak optical performance. The result? The ULTRA, a scope that outperformed even the military's expectations. More than 30 years, and countless innovations later, Leupold’s partnership with the U.S. military continues - supporting numerous service branches with high-performance battle-ready optics.

Leupold’s Shawn Skipper and Nic Kytlica sit down with fellow teammates Sam Horstman (Directory of Military Sales) and Michael Baccellieri (Military Business Development) to discuss the history of Leupold optics in the military, how the military contract process works, and what soldiers demand from our products in combat.

Subjects Discussed: Leupold's military history; weapon systems and contracts; the procurement process; military vs. civilian products; durability testing; employing veterans; new technologies for combat; and more.