German military chooses long-range cooled thermal imagers for surveillance from Thales
STUTTGART, Germany, 28 Feb. 2013. Infrared imaging experts in the German military's Office of Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support in Stuttgart, Germany, needed long-range cooled thermal imagers for surveillance, target acquisition, and identification. They found their solution from Thales Group in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.
The German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) is awarding a contract to Thales for 10 sets of Sophie XF Type long-range cooled thermal imaging electro-optics devices. The value of the contract was not released.
Sophie XF is a hand-held, multifunctional thermal imager with laser range finder, daylight camera, and integrated GPS receiver and digital compass position sensor, with continuous optical zoom.
German armed forces will use this long-range imager for surveillance, target acquisition and identification and determining the coordinates of these targets at night and in bad visibility.
What makes Sophie XF distinctive is its multitude of measurement and recording options, low-weight, longer-life batteries and reduced noise generation, Thales officials say. The order includes logistical support, documentation, and training.
Thales will deliver the 10 systems under this contract sometime this fall. Sophie XF is designed to complement around 100 previous systems used by the German military.
For more information contact Thales Group Defence online at www.thalesgroup.com/defence, or the BAAINBw at www.baain.de.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
