10.20.2026
Aimpoint® FCS™ 15 brings advanced fire control to Rheinmetall’s SSW40
One Sight, Full Control
A new class of shoulder-fired firepower places new demands on fire control. Rheinmetall’s SSW40 is the world’s first automatic, magazine-fed, shoulder-fired 40 mm grenade launcher, combining assault-rifle-like handling, programmable airburst capability and a target set ranging from drones to targets behind cover.
With FCS 15, AIMPOINT turns that firepower into an intuitive fire control solution for the operator.
– FCS 15 gives the operator access to the capabilities without adding unnecessary complexity. It brings the information together and turns it into a clear firing solution, says Tony Johansson, FCS Manager at Aimpoint AB.
Countering aerial threats
Counter-UAS is one of the key applications for FCS 15.
– Drones can be difficult targets. They move quickly, the engagement window can be short, and the operator has to account for range, movement and ammunition at the same time. The fire control system has to make that process as fast and intuitive as possible, says Tony Johansson.
Counter-UAS is only one part of the requirement. FCS 15 is also designed to support moving ground targets, different ammunition types, high-elevation engagements and targets behind cover.
Making complexity manageable
Rheinmetall’s SSW40 is a compact, magazine-fed, shoulder-fired 40 mm weapon designed to offer handling similar to an assault rifle. It is built around the Medium Velocity ammunition family, offering engagement ranges of up to 900 metres, while retaining the ability to fire existing 40 mm Low Velocity ammunition.
Those capabilities place greater demands on the fire control system.
FCS 15 retains the true direct-view concept familiar from AIMPOINT optics, with unlimited eye relief, while adding the sensors and computation required for advanced engagements.
The system incorporates laser rangefinding together with barometric pressure, temperature and inertial measurement sensors. Combined with ballistic data, these inputs provide a firing solution matched to the weapon, ammunition and target scenario.
The SSW40 is paired with a broad family of 40 mm MV ammunition, including airburst, multi-mission, armour-penetrating and ballistically matched training rounds. Rheinmetall's current MV portfolio comprises ten variants, including HEDP ammunition capable of penetrating four inches of rolled homogeneous armour.
An integrated system from the start
For the U.S. Army’s Precision Grenadier System programme, Rheinmetall has developed the HAMMR – Highly-Advanced Multi-Mission Rifle – based on the SSW40 platform. The 40 mm MV cartridge and AIMPOINT FCS 15 were developed in parallel with the weapon and optimized as an integrated system rather than combined afterwards.
– By combining Aimpoint’s expertise in fire control with Rheinmetall’s experience in weapon systems and ammunition, we can offer a complete solution designed as one system from the outset. Rather than adapting existing technologies afterwards, the weapon, ammunition and fire control system have been developed to work together, says Marko Stracar, Product Manager Infantry at Rheinmetall.
As ammunition becomes more capable and target sets more varied, fire control increasingly brings together ranging, sensing, ballistic calculation and ammunition functionality in one interface for the operator.
For Aimpoint, the principle is straightforward: make advanced capability easier to use when it matters.
Facts
40 mm – the basics
What is 40 mm?
40 mm covers a broad family of grenade ammunition and weapon systems. Low Velocity 40 × 46 mm ammunition has long been used in stand-alone and under-barrel grenade launchers, while 40 × 53 mm High Velocity ammunition is associated with crew-served automatic grenade launchers. Medium Velocity ammunition bridges that gap by bringing higher velocity, flatter trajectory and longer range to a shoulder-fired system such as the SSW40.
Low Velocity – LV
40 mm Low Velocity ammunition is the established type used in stand-alone and under-barrel grenade launchers. Rheinmetall lists its 40 × 46 mm LV ammunition at around 76–78 m/s, with an effective range of approximately 400 metres.
Medium Velocity – MV
Medium Velocity ammunition increases muzzle velocity to around 120 m/s, giving a flatter trajectory and longer effective range than conventional LV ammunition. Rheinmetall states that its current MV concept for the SSW40 supports engagements at ranges of up to 900 metres. MV ammunition can also accommodate larger payloads and programmable airburst capability.
High Velocity – HV
For comparison, Rheinmetall’s 40 × 53 mm High Velocity ammunition reaches more than 240 m/s and has a maximum effective range of around 2,200 metres. It is used in automatic grenade launchers rather than shoulder-fired systems.
What is airburst?
Airburst ammunition is programmed to detonate at a selected point in flight rather than relying solely on impact with the target. This makes it useful against targets behind cover – often described in military terminology as targets in defilade – and against certain aerial targets. FCS 15 supports integrated programming of Rheinmetall 40 mm MV Airburst Munition.
What is the SSW40?
SSW40 – Squad Support Weapon 40 – is Rheinmetall’s automatic, magazine-fed, shoulder-fired 40 mm grenade launcher. It is designed around Medium Velocity ammunition while retaining compatibility with existing LV rounds. Rheinmetall describes it as the world’s first magazine-fed automatic shoulder-fired grenade launcher capable of firing both MV and LV ammunition.
What is HAMMR?
HAMMR – Highly-Advanced Multi-Mission Rifle – is Rheinmetall’s U.S. variant based on the SSW40 platform, developed for the U.S. Army’s Precision Grenadier System programme. Rheinmetall describes the weapon, 40 mm MV ammunition and Aimpoint FCS 15 as an integrated “system of systems” developed together rather than as separately procured components.
What is FCS?
With its Fire Control Systems, Aimpoint has expanded beyond conventional red dot sights into integrated fire control. FCS combines a direct-view optical system with a digital display, laser ranging, sensors and ballistic computation to calculate and present a firing solution to the operator.
FCS 14 is a multi-weapon system designed for light, medium and heavy weapon platforms, including 40 mm grenade launchers, machine guns, the 84 mm Carl-Gustaf system and MBDA Enforcer. FCS 15 builds on that experience in a system developed specifically for Rheinmetall’s SSW40.