L3 Technologies has been awarded a contract work approximately $150 million from an unnamed country for highly accurate night-vision equipment. The equipment includes L3’s Binocular Night Vision Goggles, Holographic Weapon Sights, Light Weapon Thermal Sights, and Advanced Target Pointer Illuminator Aiming Lasers. Under the contract, L3 Technologies will deliver solutions that enable dismounted soldiers to better locate and target operational threats at night and under adverse weather conditions. Work on the contract will be performed by L3’s Warrior Sensor Systems sector, which is part of the company’s Sensor Systems business segment.
“We are focused on building new relationships, and these next-generation capabilities ensure that our international allies receive the best technology, equipment and training available,” said Christopher E. Kubasik, L3’s President and COO. “L3 continues to invest in promising new soldier technologies, such as fusion and augmented reality, to meet the needs of our domestic and international customers today and into the future.”
L3 Warrior Sensor Systems sector develops innovative products for military, law-enforcement, and first-responder customers based on enhancing night vision and vision during adverse weather conditions. The organization employs thermal and electro-optical technologies to provide improved imaging under challenging conditions.
A recent example of the group’s engineering ingenuity is the Clip-On Ruggedized Advanced Thermal Optical Sight (CRATOS), a miniature thermal weapon sight for hand-held, weapon-mounted, or standalone use (Fig. 1). Its integral laser pointer allows for handoff of target positions to the warfighter with night vision goggles. The weapons sighting unit provides a 640 × 480 μm focal plane array (FPA) with 60-Hz framerate, and with a shutter than enable manual or automatic calibration. It is supplied with a three-button remote control and operates on only 2 AA size batteries.
2. The Next Generation Aiming Laser (NGAL) is compatible with the latest night-vision devices, using near-infrared (NIR) energy to improve target detection at night and under adverse weather conditions. (Courtesy of L3 Technologies)
Another example of L3’s vision-enhancing equipment is the Next Generation Aiming Laser (NGAL), which is designed to be compatible with all generations of night vision devices (Fig. 2). The device uses an advanced illuminator to achieve a near-infrared (NIR) illuminator beam to improve near-field situational awareness. The compact laser, which features independent aim and illuminator boresight adjusters, is available with customized power levels to meet specific size, weight, and power (SWaP requirements.
