PRESS RELEASE
Altair MWIR-MWIR provides dual visibility in the 3–4 and 4–5 micron wavebands, bringing new detection advantages in a single piece of equipment
Sofradir (Veurey-Voroize), a leading developer and manufacturer of advanced infrared detectors for military, space and industrial applications, announced that it has released Altair, a new dual-band MW-MW IR detector. Altair MWIR-MWIR operates in two mid-wave bandwidths, 3–4 micron and 4–5 micron, allowing users to better identify objects and thereby reduce the number of false threats identified. The dual-band MW-MW IR detector also enables more accurate temperature measurement of targets. Altair MWIR-MWIR first shipped in early January to a European customer. Production ramp-up is expected in mid 2011.
“The quality achieved in our latest IR detector Altair MWIR-MWIR - that operates in two different bandwidths - reinforces our position as one of the leading IR detector suppliers,” says Philippe Tribolet, VP R&D and Technologies. “With this new detector, Sofradir is providing higher quality images for users of missile warning systems, an improvement which is totally in line with Sofradir’s goal of delivering state-of-the art solutions to customer requirements.”
The key advantage of dual-band IR detectors is that users can choose the band most suited to conditions, such as high humidity, high temperatures etc., to detect and identify targets and threats in the mid-wave range using a single piece of equipment. Or, they can fuse or compare the image of both bandwidths to improve target identification, for example, as the images will be naturally registered. Naturally registered means that the two color dots that make up each pixel are able to focus on the same location at the same time.
About Sofradir
Sofradir develops and manufactures advanced infrared detectors (IR) for military, space and commercial applications. It specializes in cooled IR detectors based on a sophisticated high performance technology, Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT), and its vast product portfolio of scanning and staring arrays covers the entire infrared spectrum. Sofradir also offers QWIP detectors developed in cooperation with Thales.
Sofradir's headquarters are located in Châtenay-Malabry, near Paris, France. Its manufacturing facilities and those of ULIS, its subsidiary that manufactures uncooled IR detectors, are located in Veurey-Voroize, near Grenoble, in France. Sofradir EC, the company’s US subsidiary, operates in Fairfield, NJ. Sofradir, ULIS and Sofradir EC employ more than 500 people. For more information, visit http://www.sofradir.com
-- Posted by Vision Systems Design
