"The scout's primary missions are reconnaissance and security. Armed with a 50 caliber machine gun and fitted with the Long Range Scout Surveillance System (LRAS3) the M1026 has become the Army's primary reconnaissance vehicle capable of detecting the enemy earlier than any other vehicle system. The LRAS3 has an advanced thermal imager 2d generation Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR), built-in GPS Interferometer Subsystem (GPSIS) to determine target bearing, and an eye-safe laser range finder."