As a major supplier of optical components and zoom lens subassemblies for the defense industry, Ophir Optronics has gathered over four decades of combat-proven experience in designing and manufacturing high precision optics for tier-one system integrators in the defense and security market.
At IDEX 2021, Ophir will be showcasing its wide range of long-range IR zoom lenses, designed for both Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) & Mid Wave Infrared (MWIR) applications. Having delivered thousands of such products, Ophir has earned its reputation as a world leader in IR long-range zoom lenses. These lenses are suited for numerous defense, commercial, surveillance, and homeland security applications. Ophir’s long-range zoom lenses are designed for various FPA formats, including VGA, SXGA, and High Definition. These lenses have an MTF close to the diffraction limit and outstanding detection, recognition, and identification (DRI) ranges, to suit every customer requirement and tight boresight retention performances.
The star of the show will be Ophir’s award-winning, ultra-long-range zoom lens, the SupIR 50-1350mm f/5.5, suitable for VGA and XSGA format cooled MWIR optical systems. This unique lens is optimized for stabilized payloads, with high-resolution vision capabilities and identification both in harsh environmental conditions and on constrained platforms, while maintaining focus and tight line of sight (LOS) retention throughout the zoom range. The SupIR 50-1350mm f/5.5 motorized zoom lens’s unprecedented performance allows high-resolution surveillance and identification, even in complete darkness and over long distances of more than 26km.
In addition, Ophir will showcase the newest addition to its family of cooled MWIR f/4 long-range lenses, the SupIR 45-900mm f/4 continuous zoom lens. This lens provides NFOV focal length (FL) ranges from 300mm to 900mm, and HFOV up to 0.6°. Based on the legacy SupIR 15-300mm MWIR f/4 zoom lens, with a proven track record of thousands of units operating in the field and a ruggedized design, the 45-900mm f/4 delivers superb image quality and accurate line of sight for long-range observation systems. Our 45-900mm f/4 zoom is suitable for 15µm and 10µm pitch for VGA and SXGA formats.
Ophir will also showcase its innovative product range for reduced SWaP applications – the LightIR™ thermal imaging zoom lens family. These lenses are the industry’s first lightweight and high-performance continuous zoom lenses, designed especially for use in unmanned aerial systems (UAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), aircraft vision systems, drones, and handheld applications, such as thermal imagers (HHTI). This family includes the MWIR 16-180mm f/3.6 and 20-275mm f/5.5, as well as the LWIR 15-75mm f/1.2 lightweight zoom lens. The outstanding optomechanical design of these LightIR lenses ensures the lightest and most compact designs on the market today while still achieving the highest imaging performance levels.
Ophir will also display its high precision optomechanical components, including large mirrors and lenses, domes, and prisms, which can be customized to meet defense OEM demands. Such optical components are already integrated in the leading infrared thermal imaging systems of a wide range of defense applications, including airborne, security and surveillance, navigation, target acquisition, missile guided systems, naval, and weapon sights. These components are designed for a wide range of optical wavelengths, including VIS, SWIR, MWIR, and LWIR.
The most demanding and advanced applications implement multispectral and long-range optical systems to operate in the day, night, and under the harshest weather conditions. In multispectral optical systems like these, large mirrors play a critical role. Such mirrors perform to a high level across a wide range of wavelengths (VIS to LWIR), both for imaging and laser-based applications such as laser range finders (LRF) and laser designators. The mirror’s reflection angles are identical for all wavelengths, and, therefore, all-optical channels can be combined, creating the multispectral system.
Ophir’s specialization in the design and manufacture of large mirrors for multispectral systems enables the combination of multiple optical channels into one, for significantly improved performance, without increasing size and weight – all thanks to large optical mirrors. At IDEX 2021, Ophir showcases some of its large mirrors, including a large (>270 mm) telescopic mirror, as well as lenses, domes, and prisms. These optical components are used in complex electro-optical elements for aerospace, security and surveillance, navigation, target acquisition, missile guidance systems, and weapon sight applications.
To meet the specifications of strict defense applications, Ophir employs the most cutting-edge technologies, such as advanced CNC grinding, polishing, diamond turning, centering, and coating – all performed in-house, for an end-to-end solution, with strict QA procedures throughout the entire manufacturing process.
Visit Ophir Optronics at IDEX 2021 – Booth #01-C21.
