Production Repair Technician

Introducing the Wilcox VIPR, setting a New Standard with seamless reticle transition and advanced C-UAS engagement. by Wilcox Editor September 22, 2026 NEWINGTON, NH, September 22nd, 2026 - Wilcox Industries, a global leader in innovative sighting systems, targeting technologies, and mission ready solutions, is proud to introduce the VIPR(TM)(Visually Integrated Precision Reticle), a groundbreaking direct view optical sight engineered for today's rapidly evolving operational environments. Combining the intuitive feel of a holographic sight with advanced digital capability, VIPR delivers unprecedented flexibility, precision, and operator awareness. Purpose-Built for Multi-Domain Requirements The Wilcox VIPR supports operators across Close Quarters Battle (CQB), mid-range engagements, and Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) missions. A digitally projected reticle enables operators to transition between ballistic-compensating mid-range profiles, CQB reticles, and C-UAS symbology without mechanical adjustments or disruption to their sight picture. The system also incorporates the Dragonslayer Systems(TM) Rapid Integrated Precision Reticle, which provides enhanced tracking and acquisition, providing the operator the ability to track and disable incoming drones. The system stores multiple customizable reticles and ballistic profiles. This allows the optic to function across a wide range of weapon platforms, calibers, and ammunition types. The VIPR reduces dependence on analog accessories and mechanical adjusters, decreasing potential failure points and improving operator efficiency. It is simple to operate with a single button nested inside a single scroll wheel, which is designed for reliable use with a gloved hand. Digital Precision with Applied Ballistics(TM) Integration VIPR includes optional rangefinder connectivity that displays real-time range data directly inside the reticle. Integration with Applied Ballistics software provides precise ballistic solutions tailored to specific weapons and ammunition profiles. Dual eye shooting capability preserves depth perception, improves target acquisition speed, and enhances threat recognition under stress. Engineered for Harsh Environments VIPR is engineered to withstand weapon shock, water immersion, and extreme temperatures. Key specifications include: - Clear aperture: 30 mm wide x 27 mm high - Waterproof rating: 20 meters for up to 2 Hours - Weight: 343 grams including battery - Boresight retention: less than 0.5 mrad The optic mounts to any MIL STD 1913 rail and is compatible with magnifiers, including the Wilcox 3X Magnifier. Its rugged, compact housing maximizes the viewing window while minimizing obstruction. Mobile App Integration and Mission Customization The VIPR mobile application gives operators centralized control of mission setup, reticle selection, ballistic profile management, and symbology customization. This digital ecosystem allows the operator to configure the optic quickly for evolving mission demands. Setting a New Standard in Adaptive Optics Traditional optics often require multiple accessories, each with its own limitations, configuration requirements, and failure points. VIPR consolidates these functions into one adaptive sighting system, reducing weight, reducing complexity, and decreasing adjustment time. This improves fleet readiness and allows operators to maintain focus on the fight rather than equipment management. Availability and Additional Information If you would like to become a dealer, please contact [email protected].

Western defense companies are looking to Ukrainian firms for lessons on how to build in wartime conditions. Jul 27, 2026, 5:42 AM PT Western arms makers are increasingly working with Ukrainian weapons companies, looking to learn from them how to build effectively in wartime conditions. Many Western companies, including major players, have entered into agreements to develop products with Ukrainian manufacturers, reflecting growing interest in Ukraine's wartime manufacturing experience. Western firms are interested in partnering with Ukrainian companies "to have those lessons learned that they have gained since the beginning of the full-scale invasion," Davyd Aloian, deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, told Business Insider. Ukraine's defense industry has expanded rapidly since Russia's full-scale invasion, producing more weapons domestically and attracting greater interest from foreign governments and companies. Aloian described a shift, from Ukraine taking any aid allies could spare, including decades-old equipment, to foreign partners now studying its defense sector. Western officials say Ukraine's manufacturing processes are central to what they want to learn from Ukraine, and they have encouraged their defense companies to partner with Ukrainian firms. Aloian said Western firms are interested in how Ukrainian companies operate under attack and move quickly enough to respond to a battlefield changing faster than anything most Western manufacturers have faced in decades. Ukraine builds fast. Western leaders have praised Ukraine's defense industry for its ability to develop some weapons more quickly and cheaply than many NATO-based manufacturers, even while under threat. They say they want their own countries' companies to adopt some of those practices. Ukrainian companies can develop, field, and modify some weapons within weeks, particularly drones and other relatively inexpensive systems. Sir John Stringer, NATO's Deputy Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, told Business Insider recently that "one of the things you're seeing in Ukraine is a sheer pace of adoption and adaptation in technology. It is measured in weeks." That pace, he said, is something Western militaries should study. German defense company Quantum Systems has started co-producing drones with Ukrainian defense company Frontline Robotics with a joint venture called Quantum Frontline Industries, which it described as "a major step toward a new European drone industrial base driven by Ukrainian frontline innovation and German engineering." Mykyta Rozhkov, Frontline Robotics' chief business development officer, described it to Business Insider as a "win-win" that gives Ukraine more of the drones it needs and lets German industry learn some wartime lessons that mean it can "level up their own industry and be prepared." He said his company could learn from German manufacturing methods while sharing its own "unique approaches to manufacturing" that allow it to move faster and take more risks than some Western firms. Jørgen Bull, the senior vice president for land systems at Norway's Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace, said when his company announced plans to work with Ukrainian robotic systems maker DevDroid that partnerships with Ukrainian industry are important for building future defense capabilities because "the speed of defense technology development in Ukraine today has no equal." He said working with DevDroid combines its "battle-proven solutions" with his company's decades of experience. Ukraine builds under threat. Ukrainian companies have also learned how to maintain production under wartime threats. Many are expanding some production elsewhere in Europe, but allies preparing for a possible large-scale war want to understand how Ukrainian firms have continued operating under attack. Aloian said that Western companies also want to learn how Ukrainian companies have scaled so hugely, especially working in such tough conditions. "The industry has been developed under the most harsh conditions that are currently in the world." Aloian said Western companies want to learn from Ukraine about the "resilience of the production sites, how rapidly they can restore and regenerate their production volumes after shelling and after hits," and how they're duplicating production lines and relocating manufacturing without decreasing delivery volumes. Ukrainian companies have split manufacturing across multiple sites. That makes production more difficult but reduces the risk that a single attack could wipe out an entire operation. Karmo Saar, the head of sales for Estonian company Krattworks, which makes drones used by Ukraine, told Business Insider that European companies need to disperse more, or otherwise, "I think we're going to be punished." Ukrainian drone maker General Cherry announced a joint venture with American defense manufacturer Wilcox Industries to produce FPV and interceptor drones for the US. Wilcox Industries founder and CEO James Teetzel cited Ukraine's working under threat, saying that "to work with a company that withstood the impossible and entered the fight when Ukraine's sovereignty was under threat is exactly the spirit Wilcox would like to be part of." He said he wanted to combine his company's strengths with the battlefield tech that General Cherry had developed, and he had no doubt that it would "bring considerable benefit to the United States." Stanislav Hryshyn, co-founder of General Cherry, told Business Insider that the US has a larger manufacturing base that's beneficial for Ukrainian companies to work with, but that also for Western companies, "our experience and expertise is pretty valuable for them." General Cherry is also co-producing with ORQA, a Croatian drone technology company. Srđan Kovačević, ORQA's CEO, told Business Insider that General Cherry has "been living through a reality of having to defend against massive daily attacks by unmanned capabilities of the enemy. That pressure, he said, has forced the company to quickly adapt available technology for operational use. He said that working together "is a two-way street. But when it comes to operational excellence, they have operational excellence that we don't have simply because we had the privilege of not needing to have an existential threat daily." Sinéad Baker is a Military and Defense Correspondent based in Business Insider's London bureau, writing about Russia's invasion of Ukraine and NATO actions. Sinéad most often covers soldiers' experiences, military strategy, battlefield developments, the defense industry's response, and geopolitical decisions that surround the war. She has reported from NATO's frontlines and around Europe, has interviewed multiple prime ministers and defense ministers, has appeared on BBC News and The Guardian's politics podcast, and has been cited by Congressional hearings. Sinéad has also extensively covered US politics and previously led Business Insider's breaking news coverage from London. Sinéad previously completed a master's degree in investigative journalism at City, University of London, and has written for The Guardian, The Observer, and TheJournal.ie. Sinéad is the former editor of the multi-award-winning The University Times in Dublin. Expertise * Experiences of soldiers in Ukraine, including battlefield developments and tactics * Western military responses to the war, and lessons they should learn * New weaponry built for and in response to the war Email Sinéad at [email protected] or find her on X.