By Company (Theon)


September 2024

August 2024

April 2024

March 2024

Northrop Grumman Upgrades Litening Targeting PodPREMIUM

Major Performance Improvements

January 2024

December 2023

October 2023

August 2023

June 2023

April 2023

March 2023

December 2022

November 2022

October 2022

Navy Finally Selects a Replacement for F/A-18 ATFLIR Targeting PodsPREMIUM

First Test Flights of Northrop Grumman Litening Completed

September 2022

July 2022

April 2022

February 2022

January 2022

James Webb Space Telescope LaunchedPREMIUM

MCT FPAs at the Forefront

July 2021

May 2021

April 2021

December 2020

May 2020

Raytheon Technologies Emerges from Raytheon/UTC MergerPREMIUM

Raytheon/UTC merger closes

April 2020

December 2019

July 2019

May 2019

April 2019

Small Pixel Uncooled Microbolometer Market Splits into Two Halves as Some Suppliers Concentrate on Larger Formats OnlyPREMIUM

In an effort to stay out of highly competitive commercial markets some microbolometer suppliers are staying out of the mid-format (320 x 240) small pixel (10-12 µm) market.

November 2018

T2SL FPAs Moving into Major Infrared ProgramsPREMIUM

L3 Space & Sensors (Mason, Ohio) is continuing to move its FPA production away from InSb and to T2SL/nBn (Type II Superlattice).

August 2018

FLIR Systems Moves to T2SL Infrared Detector TechnologyPREMIUM

FLIR Systems, which has long concentrated on its mature InSb FPA technology has been internally developing Type 2 Superlattice (T2SL) FPAs for use in future products.

The company, which has been part of the VISTA consortium, is making use of the InAs/GaSb epitaxial structures that have been developed by JPL and NRL under the VISTA program and grown by IntelliEPI and IQE. It is expected that the company will soon introduce a camera core based on a HOT MWIR 640 x 512 FPA with 15 micron pixels.

Raytheon Vision Systems Looking to Leverage Infrared Detector PortfolioPREMIUM

Raytheon Vision Systems (Goleta, California) is in the fortunate position of having the largest portfolio of advanced infrared detectors in the world, including mercury cadmium telluride (MCT), InSb, InGaAs, uncooled VOx microbolometers and others. Recently, the company’s III-V T2SL (Type II Superlattice)/nBn detectors have also reached a level of maturity that enabled Raytheon to win the contract for the next-generation Distributed Aperture System (DAS) for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

July 2018

Raytheon and Safran Collaborating on Vehicle Sights PREMIUM

Raytheon will combine its EO/IR technology with Safran's inertial measurement unit technology to develop and manufacture the latest thermal sights. The new systems will allow soldiers to see across long- and mid-wave bands simultaneously and at very long ranges with a stabilized line of sight.

June 2018

Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Sign Contract for New EO-DASPREMIUM

Raytheon and Lockheed Martin have signed a contract under which Raytheon will provide the next-generation EO-DAS (Electro-optical-Distributed Aperture System) for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The new system will make use of very large format, small pixel MWIR nBn FPAs developed by Raytheon Vision Systems (Goleta, California).

Start-Up Copious Imaging Taking Digital-pixel Readouts to New LevelPREMIUM

Copious Imaging (Lexington, Massachusetts), a spin-off of MIT Lincoln Labs, intends to transform infrared Read-out Integrated Circuits (ROICs) by not only placing a small low-power analog-to-digital converter at each pixel to form a DROIC (Digital-pixel ROIC) but also provide each pixel with computational capability to produce "Computational Pixel Imagers."

December 2017

August 2017

DARPA Reimagine Program Makes Over $5 Million in AwardsPREMIUM

Revolutionizing FPA Architecture

July 2017

June 2017

November 2016

October 2016

September 2016

New ASRAAM Missile Seeker Gives Leonardo (Selex ES) FPAs a BoostPREMIUM

UK Builds ASRAAM Inventory for its New F-35 Fighters

June 2016

APS Systems: A Future Big Market for Infrared FPAs?PREMIUM

Active Protection Systems (APS) for armored vehicles are becoming a necessity as rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and anti-armor munitions become more effective against even the best armor. In APS systems an incoming round is detected and tracked and a counter munition is fired to destroy the round before it can damage the vehicle.

In the most recent systems, infrared FPAs are being used.

May 2016

April 2016

After Long Wait 3rd Gen FLIR Finally Moves Ahead PREMIUM

After numerous delays over a period of ten years, the U.S. Army has finally put 3rd Gen FLIR onto a path where it will become reality. Awards have been made for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) for the 3rd Gen B-kit which will be used to upgrade 2nd Gen B-kits in a number of vehicle sighting systems and in targeting systems. The 3rd Gen B-kit consists of a Dewar Cooler Bench (DCB), afocal imager and circuit card assemblies.

January 2016

Seek Thermal Rolling Out Mid-Format Uncooled CorePREMIUM

Seek Thermal (Goleta, California) is ready to go into production with a new uncooled core based on Wafer-Level-Packaged (WLP) 320 x 240 VOx microbolometers with 12 micron pixels, a significant upgrade over the company’s existing 206 x 156/12 microbolometers.

November 2015

October 2015

September 2015

July 2015

May 2015

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

April 2015

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

February 2015

January 2015

December 2014

November 2014

September 2014

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

August 2014

June 2014

April 2014

March 2014

January 2014

FLIR Launches Double WhammyPREMIUM

Ultra Low-Cost Thermal Core and Smartphone Attachment

December 2013

November 2013

October 2013

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

September 2013

DARPA PIXNET Program Gets UnderwayPREMIUM

Ultra-Small Muti-Band Uncooled Camera

August 2013

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

June 2013

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

May 2013

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

March 2013

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

February 2013

November 2012

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

October 2012

September 2012

July 2012

June 2012

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

April 2012

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

January 2012

Spectrolab Moves InGaAs APDs into ProductionPREMIUM

An Enabling Technology for 3D Imaging

December 2011

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

November 2011

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

August 2011

July 2011

DARPA Funding Tiny, Low-Cost Uncooled FPAs and Camera CoresPREMIUM

Pushing Uncooled Infrared Toward a Cell Phone Model

February 2011

ITT to Split into Three CompaniesPREMIUM

Defense Segment Will Continue Work on Night Vision

January 2011

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

December 2010

Sensor OverloadPREMIUM

Gray Eagle UAVs Being Deployed with Three Common Sensor Payloads

September 2010

Raytheon Wins SDB II ProgramPREMIUM

A Trend in Seeker Technology?

August 2010

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

June 2010

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

May 2010

April 2010

February 2010

January 2010

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

December 2009

November 2009

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

October 2009

September 2009

Pushing Uncooled Detector Technology to Its LimitsPREMIUM

Smaller Pixels and Larger Formats

August 2009

ARTEMIS Providing Hyperspectral Images from SpacePREMIUM

Spectral Images for Operational Use

July 2009

General Dynamics Buying AxsysPREMIUM

How Will the Acquisition Affect the Commercial and Military Infrared Markets?

June 2009

Soldiers Test Digital Enhanced Night Vision GogglesPREMIUM

Comparing ENVG(D) and ENVG(O)

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

May 2009

U.S. Defense Budget to Undergo Big ChangesPREMIUM

Their Effect on Infrared

April 2009

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

February 2009

U.S. Army Moves Ahead with 3rd Gen FLIR AwardPREMIUM

SDD Contract Sets the Stage for Production of 3rd Gen FLIR Engines

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

January 2009

November 2008

Axsys Expands OperationsPREMIUM

Increases Product Offerings

Army Cancels ARHPREMIUM

Sensor Systems in Limbo

October 2008

August 2008

Space Based IR Sensor Program Morphs to Next PhasePREMIUM

The Alternative Infrared Satellite System (AIRSS) program has become a follow-on to SBIRS High

July 2008

Former Indigo Execs Prevail Over FLIR Systems in LawsuitPREMIUM

FLIR Systems has lost a lawsuit against two former Indigo Systems executives whom it claimed were misappropriating trade secrets and against whom FLIR was seeking a permanent injunction to prevent them from starting a new venture to produce uncooled microbolometers.

Multiple Kill Vehicle Seeker Development Moves to Next PhasePREMIUM

The Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV) program for developing a robust mid-course ballistic missile interceptor is moving to a prototype seeker that will be able to track multiple targets and then guide multiple kill vehicles to destroy them.

 

May 2008

3rd Gen FLIR Moving to SDDPREMIUM

The U.S. Army’s effort to develop and field a 3rd Gen FLIR is moving into the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase.

April 2008

The Race to 17 Micron PixelsPREMIUM

Manufacturers of uncooled microbolometers are racing to develop and introduce focal plane arrays with 17 micron pixels. The smaller size pixels are seen by producers as a way to differentiate their products and as a path to lower cost and higher volume markets.

January 2008

EO/IR System for DDG 1000 Moves into Production PhasePREMIUM

The EO/IR system for the U.S. Navy’s next-generation DDG 1000 (Zumwalt class) destroyer (including stealth and electric propulsion) is moving into the production phase.The EO/IR system is being developed by a team being led by Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems

December 2007

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

September 2007

DRS Seeks End to TWS ProblemsPREMIUM

DRS Technologies is seeking to put an end to its Thermal Weapon Sight woes after having suspended shipments of TWS II for over five months due to a boresighting problem.

July 2007

TWS II Bridge AwardsPREMIUM

The U.S. Army has awarded contracts for the Thermal Weapon Sight II (TWS) Bridge, which is the largest uncooled program to date.

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

May 2007

T2SL Research IntensifiesPREMIUM

Research on Type II Superlattice (T2SL) FPAs is increasing rapidly as evidenced by the ten papers presented on these detectors at the April SPIE Infrared Technology & Applications Conference in Orlando. Currently, most of this work is aimed at improving performance in the LWIR, since good performance has already been demonstrated in the MWIR.

March 2007

U.S. Defense BudgetPREMIUM

A big increase (but not for all infrared programs)

February 2007

Digital ENVG One Step CloserPREMIUM

The plan to replace the current helmet-mounted night vision goggles (NVG) with a digital Enhanced Night Vision Goggles [ENVG(D)] is moving closer to realization. Although numerous technical hurdles must still be surmounted, the U.S. Army has now laid out a schedule for bringing ENVG(D) into production.

January 2007

3rd Gen FLIR Moves Out of Research and DevelopmentPREMIUM

3rd Gen infrared technology has moved out of R&D with the completion of the U.S. Army’s Dual-Band FPA Manufacturing Program (DBFM). The technology is being transitioned from an Advanced Technology Objective (ATO) to Systems Development and Demonstration (SDD) in which complete 3rd Gen FLIR engines (B-kits) will be developed over the next 2 - 3 years.

December 2006

Uncooled with 17 µm PixelsPREMIUM

The U.S. Army’s effort to keep pushing the performance of uncooled sensor technology is again bearing fruit. All four contractors developing ultra-small pixel uncooled microbolometers have demonstrated 640 x 480 focal plane arrays with 17 µm pixels in thermal weapon sights.

November 2006

Hedging the Missile Warning RiskPREMIUM

The U.S. Air Force is hedging its bets on the long-delayed Space Based Infrared System High and starting an alternative program that injects the most recent advances in infrared focal plane array technology.

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

October 2006

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

May 2006

Raytheon Launches New Security System for Airports and Other InfrastructurePREMIUM

Raytheon’s Airspace Management and Homeland Security business is launching an Integrated Airport Security System (IASS) that makes it easier for airports to ensure the safety of passengers from their arrival at the airport to departure in the aircraft. .

Company BriefsPREMIUM

 

April 2006

SBInet Holds Out Hope for Infrared Strategic Border InitiativePREMIUM

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Strategic Border Initiative program (SBInet) is shaping up to be a boon for infrared technology. SBInet has two major themes: controlling the border and immigration enforcement.

February 2006

Irvine Sensors in FFW ContractPREMIUM

Irvine Sensors has been awarded a contract by Rockwell Collins Optronics for the miniature thermal imagers for the Future Force Warrior (FFW) head-mounted sensor. The Irvine Sensors cameras are based on the company’s tiny CamNoir which makes use of an IC stacking technique (“Neo-Stack) for producing highly compact electronics packages.

Prelude to TWS IIIPREMIUM

Although the U.S. Army’s TWS II program using high performance 25 µm pixel uncooled VOx microbolometers (640 x 480 and 320 x 240) is just getting started, the next-generation, with 17 µm pixels is already getting underway. Under a program funded by PEO Soldier and with the technical monitoring of the Night Vision & Electronic Sensors Directorate, four companies have been selected to develop 640 x 480 microbolometers with 17 µm pixels and deliver two Thermal Weapon Sights and two thermal imaging modules.

January 2006

Uncooled B-kit in Phase IIPREMIUM

The U.S. Army’s effort to develop standard interchangeable imaging modules based on uncooled VOx microbolometers went into Phase II with the awarding of contracts to BAE Systems Infrared Imaging Systems, DRS Infrared Technologies and Raytheon Vision Systems in September 2005. Under Phase II of the Uncooled B-Kit (UBK) program, the emphasis is on 640 x 480 pixel imaging modules.

Company BriefsPREMIUM