At last year’s IWA 2018 I saw the TILO thermal sight. However the booth at IWA had non-working versions. But the form factor of the TILO thermal sight is ground breaking. Imagine something the size of a GoPro camera but it is a thermal sight.

Andres Industries came out to SHOT Show 2019 and had working units for their TILO 3Z+ and TILO 6Z+. The difference between the two is the resolution. The 3Z+ is 320×256 while the 6Z is 640×512. Of course the 6Z costs a lot more than the 3Z.

TILO 3Z+ specs

• 320×256 pixel 9Hz Sensor resolution microbolometer
• <60mK temperature resolution
• Application: -20° to +60°C / Storage -40° to +80°C
• Water protection: IP65
• Impact protection: MIL 810F 516 IV (26 drops from 1.22m)
• Video Output: PAL/NTSC
• Dimensions:
  • Length: 40mm
  • Width: 64mm
  • Height: 67mm
• Weight: approx. 100g without accessories
• Screen resolution: 873×500 pixels
• Materials:
  • Case: Polyamide, cold fracture resistant reinforced with nanotubes
  • sapphire crystal eyepiece cover
  • color: black

TILO 6Z+ Specs

• 640×512 pixel 60Hz Sensor resolution microbolometer
• <40mK temperature resolution
• Application: -30° to +60°C / Storage -40° to +80°C
• Water protection: IP68
• Impact protection: MIL 810F 516 IV (26 falls from 1.22m)
• Video Output: PAL/NTSC
• FOV: horizontal 24° / vertical 19°
• Dimensions:
  • Length: 58mm
  • Width: 64mm
  • Height: 67mm
• Weight: approx. 128g without accessories
• Screen resolution: 873×500 pixels
• Materials:
  • Case: polyamid, cold break resistant, reinforced with nanotubes
  • cover eyepiece made of crystal sapphire
  • color: black

The TILO thermal sight is so small that it can be helmet worn. The closest thermal sight that can do this is the FLIR Breach but it is as big as a PVS-14.

The TILO sights have built in white and red LED illuminators.

Andres Industries designed the TILO to be weapon mounted. They have a bayonet style mount like that of camera lenses that allow the TILO to be attached to the objective lens of scopes like the Elcan Specter.

Typical thermal weaponsights that use a magnified optic are designed to not shift POI or POA. But the TILO does not have enough lenses to make this possible. You will need to adjust the image and shift the position in the built-in menu to match your point of impact. And you will need to do this for every zoom level.

Andres is working on an adapter that will allow you to use the TILO with red dot sights.

For those who have experience using thermal sights, you will know that they cannot see through glass. And yet Andres has made an optical magnifier for the TILO. It is 100% germanium lenses.

without the magnifer

With the germanium magnifier

Testing the TILO

As I stated in the title, this is a TFB Exclusive look. While anyone could have gone up to Andres Industries and looked through a TILO, I was invited to go out to the desert with South Korean SOF Snipers while they evaluated the TILO.

We tried pocket hand warmers on a steel target and even though it was a cool 44F we had trouble seeing them at 660 yards. So my friend Kris K volunteered to go down range while we looked through the TILO thermal sights.

In the video above we used the TILO 6Z with germanium magnifier and it was easy to see Kris out at 660 yards. In the video below he moved closer at 200 yards.

For my own comparison I used my FLIR T50 ACTS and I could see him at 660 yards as well. However the resolution of the FLIR is pretty bad. But that is due to the fact that the T50 is a decade old. Not bad for how old it is.

The TILO 6Z is rather impressive but the price is rather steep. The TILO 3Z can be yours for $4800. But if you want the higher resolution of the 6Z get ready to shell out $7800. Much more than the FLIR Breach which can be had for about half the price of the TILO 3Z. But you cannot weapon mount the Breach and it is bigger.  Aside from the high price, the TILO thermal sights do not have onboard recording. And according to the guys at Andres, the TILO do have video out features but you cannot look through the TILO while it is outputting video.