High-resolution QWIP thermal imager for AFV upgrade

摘要

Following on the success of the BIRC clip on thermal imaging sight for the BILL Anti-Tank Missile System, which was in fact the world's first military QWIP based thermal imager, and which has been successfully delivered to the Swedish Army in serial quantities, several new QWIP-based products from FLIR Systems AB in Sweden are now under contract for defense customers worldwide. These include the new Forward Observation Systems for Norway and Sweden, Airborne Search & Rescue Systems, and a new clip on thermal imager for the Bofors RBS 70 Air Defense Missile System. The latest of these products is the development of a High Resolution QWIP Thermal Imager, LIRC, under contract for an upgrade of a number of Swedish CV9040C Armored Fighting Vehicles for Swedish Army International Operations. The paper will focus on the rationale behind the system selection, the development of the military qualified QWIP Thermal Imagers and the current status of the program.