The Sight Unit Small Arms, Trilux, or SUSAT, is a 4× telescopic sight, with tritium-powered illumination utilised at dusk or dawn. The full name of the current model is the SUSAT L9A1. The sight is not designed as a sniper sight, but is rather intended to be mounted on a variety of rifles and to be used by all infantrymen. A similar device is the Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG).
Use
SUSAT was the primary sighting system for the British Army's SA80 series weapons and L108 and L110 light machine guns. It was also mounted to L7 and L111 machine guns. It was phased out and replaced by ACOG and ELCAN sight units during mid-life upgrade programmes.
As of March 2019 it is still in use with much of the UK armed forces - primarily reserve, rear-echelon and for training use due to budgetary constraints.
The reticle of the SUSAT is of unusual design. Unlike the traditional crosshair layouts commonly used, which are in essence a cross intersecting the target, the SUSAT has a single obelisk-shaped post protruding from the bottom edge of the sight. This type of reticle is sometimes referred to as the "German Post". This obscures the target at long range and the foreground. The reticle is tritium-illuminated for low-light condition aiming. The radioactive tritium light source has to be replaced every 8–12 years, since it gradually loses its brightness due to radioactive decay.
The L2A2 SUIT Sight uses a similar single post to the SUSAT, but protrudes from the top edge of the sight down to the middle of the field.
Manufacturing
SUSAT is constructed from a one-piece, pressure die-cast, aluminium body, into which the eyepiece, objective lens and prisms are fitted as assemblies.