Thermal Imaging Optics For Defense Applications

Ophir IR Optics is a leading provider of high-performance IR optical elements and assemblies for advanced defense thermal imaging applications. Ophir offers over 40 years of experience in the most advanced Electro-Optics programs, developed by the leading global defense OEMs. These partnerships have resulted in unmatched capabilities, reliability, knowledge, and solutions that serve major defense platforms worldwide.

Your Optics Partner For Mission Success

With decades of knowledge and experience, having designed and delivered thousands of thermal imaging optics for multiple defense applications, Ophir has earned its reputation as a world-leading, one-stop-shop designer and manufacturer of Infrared thermal imaging components for defense OEMs.

Our R&D engineering team works in collaboration with defense customers to develop, design and deliver high performance optics, delivering solutions for high precision and environmentally challenging applications, answering the strict demands of defense customers worldwide, enabling today’s most advanced aerospace and defense solution deployments.

Applications Served

  • Ground-based: Enhanced Vision Systems (EVS), Driver Vision Enhancement (DVE), Situation Awareness Systems (SAS), Remote Controlled Weapon Stations (RCWS), Tank Gunner/ Commander Sight, Thermal Goggles, Thermal Weapon Sight (TWS), Hand-held Thermal Imagers (HHTI)
  • Airborne: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), Payloads and Forward-Looking IR Cameras (FLIR)
  • Naval: Surveillance, Targeting
  • Missiles: Optical build-to-print components for IR guided missiles, including domes, mirrors and Cassegrain telescopes.

Meeting Defense Market Strict Demands

We harness innovative designs to provide largest portfolio products with field-proven performance, answering the strict demands of global defense customers for:

  • Lightweight, compact designs answering the strict SWaP restraints
  • Ruggedized design for durability in harshest environmental conditions
  • Outstanding detection, recognition, and identification (DRI) ranges >28 km
  • Accurate Line on Sight (LOS)
  • High precision optics with MTF close to the diffraction limit Focal length ranges from 1.8 to 1350 mm

Widest IR Lens Assembly Product Range

Our range of long-lasting products includes IR complex lens assemblies with various focus mechanisms:

  • Fixed
  • Manual
  • Motorized focus
  • Continuous zoom

From LWIR, MWIR to SWIR we excel in the production of the following product configurations:

  • Single Field-of-view (1-FOV)
  • Multiple Field-of-view (M-FOV)
  • Motorized Continuous Zoom

Our knowledge and experience in motorized continuous zoom lens systems is recognized by customers around the world.

Build-To-Spec (BTS) & Build-to-Print (BTP) Expertise

With decades of knowledge and experience, having designed and delivered thousands of infrared components in the LWIR, MWIR or SWIR wavebands for multiple defense applications, Ophir has earned its reputation as a world-leading, one-stop-shop designer and manufacturer of Infrared thermal imaging components for defense OEMs.

Advanced optical design technologies and innovative engineering are applied to our build-to-specification (BTS) development processes, allowing us to reach efficient design results with fewer elements, lighter components, and reduced-cost.

These same advanced capabilities and expertise are combined with cutting-edge manufacturing technologies such as MRF technology, diamond-turning machines, CNC generators and polishers, automated coating chambers, and advanced metrology and test equipment, to create our our build-to- print (BTP) component and assemblies, including aspheric, diffractive and spherical lenses, mirrors, domes, windows and prisms.

Strict Quality Assurance (QA) Processes

Figure 1. QA process throughout product manufacturing cycle
Figure 2. Our in-house testing tools are encompassing all required specifications and include the above.

With rigorous QA testing throughout the production process, we ensure that any finished product is optimized for the defense market requirements with the highest performance requested.

From design to delivery, our material control, in-process testing, operator inspections and final inspections all ensure that Ophir products meet the highest specifications and quality standards.

Standard Compliance

  • AS9100 Rev. D and ISO 9001-2015 certified
  • US and European military standards compliant with:
    • DIN 3140
    • IPC 620
    • MIL-PRF 13830
    • MIL-PRF 85285
    • MIL STD 810
    • MIL-C-48497
    • MIL-C-48616
    • ISO 10110 sections 1-19, ANSI\ASQ Z1.4

Detection, Recognition & Identification (DRI) performance

Note: Calculations used are based on "Johnson Criteria" | Real world performance may vary depending on the weather conditions
* Assumptions: 23mK NETD (f/4 & f/5.5) for MWIR cooled detectors | 35.5mK NETD (f/3.4) | 32mK NETD (f/3.6) | 50mK NETD (f/1.0) for LWIR uncooled detectors | 30Hz frame rate | 50% detection probability | 0.2km-1 atmospheric attenuation coefficient | human ΔT = 5°C | vehicle ΔT = 2°C
** SWIR assumptions: 1280 10μm detector | TRM4 model | Day mode | 0.7μm to 1.7μm spectral range | 25Hz frame rate | Overcast daylight irradiance | 0.2 path radiance factor | 0.2km-1 atmospheric attenuation coefficient | 50% detection probability | Human and vehicle target 50% reflectivity | 15% background reflectivity

Components Manufacturing Expertise Meeting Any Specification

Manufacturing large size mirrors, lenses, mirrors, domes, windows, and prisms, supporting multispectral optics and emerging applications.

  • VIS to LWIR wavelengths.
  • Spherical, aspherical, diffractive, flat, and free-form shapes.
  • Doublets or triplets
  • Substrates:
    • BK7
    • Fused-Silica
    • Zerudor
    • Chalcogenides
    • Germanium
    • Silicon
    • Calcium Fluoride
    • Zinc selenide
    • Zinc sulfide cleartran
    • Copper
    • Aluminum and more

Core Capabilities

  • In-house, cutting-edge manufacturing technologies:
    • MRF technology
    • Lupho Scan Profilometers technology
    • Diamond turning
    • CNC polishing
    • Coating
    • Metrology
  • Highest development standards including Design for Manufacturability and Assembly (DFMA) as well as highest production standards including risk analysis.
  • Complete control of production processes
  • Statistical Process Control (SPC) over full production cycle
  • Innovative engineering
  • Large volume high-end production capabilities
  • Manufacturing sites in Israel and Europe (Romania) with a clean room for the coating, inspection and packing processes.

Superior Components Manufacturing

  • 5-400 mm diameter components fabrication and coating
  • Free form optics manufacturing and metrology
  • Variety of Chalcogenide glasses
  • Large Silicon lenses > Ø300 mm
  • Large Aluminum mirrors for Cassegrainian telescopes

Optic Tolerances (Typical | High-end)

Windows Lenses   Mirrors
Dimensional  ± 0.05 mm | ± 0.01 mm
 

Surface figure (P-V)

 Flatness 0.5 | 0.2 Fr
Irregularity 0.2 | 0.1 Fr
Spherical
Power 2 | 1 Fr
Irregularity 0.5 | 0.2 Fr
Aspherical
Radius tolerance 0.1% | 0.05%
Irregularity 2 | 1 Fr 
 Flatness 0.5 | 0.2 Fr
Parallelism  3 | 5 arc sec
 

Surface quality (S-D)

 80-50 | 10-5
Roughness nm, RMS  2 | 0.5

Advanced Optical Coatings

Coating types:

  • Anti-reflective (AR), Mirrors and Filters
  • UV, VIS, NIR, SWIR, MWIR, LWIR
  • Multispectral coatings
  • High efficiency and high durability coatings
  • DLC (HC) coatings and Low Reflectance HC (LRHC)
  • Laser coatings for 1.064 μm and 10.6 μm
  • EUV coatings

Coating performance:

  • Broadband AR: Ref<0.5% to 0.2% Tra >98% to 99%
  • Broadband mirror: Ref>98% to 99%
  • Windscreen Wiper Test TS1888 / P 5.4.3 – DLC coatings

Defense Applications

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