Suicidal? Even in circumstances where advanced opfor NV is a major factor (which is by no means all circumstances), why do you assume that PLA operators won't just... practice not doing IR NDs, in the exact same way they'll obviously practice avoiding white light NDs? What do you suggest they do instead? Go in with only white lights? Or will the PLA forgo using those as well because all concievable opfor have "comprehensive visible light capabilities" (eyes)? Of course not.
Who said anything about NDs? It’s a rather bizarre tangent to jump to. Most half decent LAM all have lock out modes so NDs shouldn’t be an issue at all.
What is far more problematic is the fact that if opfor also have NODs, using LAM is just going to be extremely risky. Because not only will opfor see the IR laser beams and know you are there and aiming, they can potentially also follow the beam back to pinpoint your location.
If you are going up against peer opposition in most combat environments and scenarios, you really want to be using dedicated night time optics, be it IIT based, or more commonly and usefully, thermal weapons sights. That will not only give you true passive aiming without the risk of alerting opfor before you pull the trigger, dedicated night weapons optics are also far more precise than LAM, which means you can vastly extend your efforts engagement range way beyond the 100m range typical with LAM.
The PLA does use and will continue to use LAMs. We have seen this multiple times. And in those cases, a metal handguard would be preferable for the aforementioned reason. This IMO is a question of the ongoing modernization effort, not some kind of broad institutional preference.
LAM is not without its merits, but in peer and near-peer combat, they are rather niche. The one area where LAM really comes into its own is in CQB in urban environments, where the urban surroundings negate much of the downsides of active emitting IR signals opfor can potentially pick up on, and engagement distances are typically close, so precision isn’t needed; while the speed advantage of LAM aiming, especially if paired with strobing IR and/or white light torches, can give you a real edge in . But that is really a niche use more suited for special forces rather than general issue.
so if you're not gonna put a lam there, then what else would that top rail to be with? Literally the only reason to have a pic rail is to have a lam, like this is juat a bizarre half assed way of doing it, either just not have the rail to begin with because putting a lam there will absolutely nuke your zero or have a metal Pic rail so it can actually hold zero, why do you think nobody else bothers with this?
The most obvious answer is a torch, ideally an IR and white light combo unit.
You can also use the front rail to mount IIT and thermal clip-ons, which if designed and built well, are fairly tolerant of a little wobble in the hand guard. It’s not going to let you win any precision shooting competitions, but it will be plenty good enough for most combat scenarios and ranges, and sit comfortably above LAM in terms of both engagement range and precision, but still will be a little inferior to a dedicated night time weapons sight.
Beyond those you really don’t want to be overloading your rifle with LARPer add-ons. Because the first thing guys do after they get combat deployed is strip their rifles of all but the most essential of things. Because you really want your combat weapon as light and streamlined as possible.
Also, I need to ask, have you actually ever shot with LAMs? Because you seem to have a very unrealistic expectation of just how precise that is even with a single piece full length aluminium rail.
In reality, even the best two piece aluminium front hand guards can have a little give to them, and you can throw your zero off a touch from different grip styles. The LAM themselves are also not designed for pinpoint precision, and at 100m you really are down to minute-of-man effective accuracy.
That was plenty good enough against farmers with AKs and just their MK1 eyeballs in a night fight. But in a peer fight between team LAM and team Thermal (clip on or dedicated weapons sights) in any scenario other than room clearing, your LAM guys are going to be at a monumental disadvantage.
