L-3 Cincinnati Electronics [LLL] (L-3 CE) yesterday revealed its new NightWarrior 640 Mid-Wave Infrared (MWIR) imaging system, one of the smallest cooled infrared cameras in the world.
“We really put a lot of resources on it, and despite the challenging budget environment we’re in, we still think there’s a growth area in the market because of this,” Don Gill, director of Business Development, L-3 CE, Defense Daily in an interview. “We see a $300 million market over the next five years.”
The new sensor could help program managers with obsolescence management or provide an upgrade. For small payload original equipment manufacturers (OEM), Night Warrior 640 is of interest because it can increase the infrared capability they already have and the reduced size frees space for other options.
Using a breakthrough High Operating Temperature (HOT) 15-micron pixel pitch, 640 x 512 Focal Plane Array (FPA), the NightWarrior 640 offers an exponential improvement in performance and image quality for applications that could previously only use uncooled thermal imagers.
While L-3 CE made some changes in the cryocooler itself, the breakthrough came in the focal plane array (FPA) material–or the “eyeball” in the infrared camera. Traditionally, the FPA has been made of indium antimonide (InSB), which had to be cooled to 77 degrees kelvin, about minus 200-degrees Celsius, Gill said. A lot of research over the past three to five years went into developing nBn FPAs, which allow much warmer cooling temperatures and a smaller cyrocooler. A corresponding reduction in size of the electronics made NightWarrior 640 happen.
Schmidt added that the company put a lot of resources in to accelerate the product.
According to the company, NightWarrior 640 is five times smaller, five times lighter and uses four times less power than the previous application.
“The goal is to get this level of technology directly into the hands of the warfighter,” Stephen Schmidt, Business Development manager, Infrared Products at L-3 CE, said.
Measuring 17.5 cubic inches in volume, weighing just one pound and consuming less than 6 watts of power, NightWarrior 640 is ideally suited for size, weight and power (SWaP) sensitive platforms and applications.
L-3 CE engineers designed the NightWarrior for easy integration into a variety of applications, including small electro-optical payloads, thermal weapon sights, handheld systems, remote weapon stations and tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems/Unmanned Aerial Vehicle sensor systems.
“As the name indicates, our vision with the NightWarrior 640 is to get state-of-the-art infrared performance directly into the hands of the warfighter,” said Russ Walker, president of L-3 Cincinnati Electronics. “Our engineers have succeeded in producing an ultra-compact imaging system that represents a giant leap forward in infrared capability at an affordable price.”
The NightWarrior 640 incorporates many advanced features previously found only in larger sensors. Onboard image enhancement processing delivers exceptional image quality in all light levels, and features include auto-focus, automatic gain control (AGC) and non-uniformity correction (NUC), resulting in an exceptionally crisp infrared image.
L-3 CE also said it is releasing its new B-200 cryogenic micro cooler– another key enabling technology in the NightWarrior 640 offering. The B-200 is a 0.2-watt linear closed-cycle Stirling cooler. Smaller than a D-cell battery, the B-200 generates negligible noise, making it ideal for the most tactical operational environments. Its low power draw is well-suited for battery-powered, highly mobile applications.
L-3 CE is already looking at the next step for NightWarrior, keeping about the same size, weight and power, but with higher-resolution camera. Gill said NightWarrior 640 is customer-ready.