Army considers upgrading night-vision sensors with mid- and long-wave IR imaging components
FORT BELVOIR, Va., 3 Dec. 2013. U.S. Army electro-optics experts say they plan to develop dual-band mid-wave infrared (MWIR)/long-wave infrared (LWIR) imaging subassemblies and electronic modules to replace the Army's existing Horizontal Technology Integration (HTI) Second Generation Forward Looking Infrared (HTI 2GF) B-Kit sub-assemblies and electronic modules.
Toward that goal, officials of the Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground-Belvoir Division (ACC-APG-Belvoir) are surveying industry to identify with experience developing dual band infrared B-Kit sub-assemblies and electronics modules, or with the capability to do so.
The Army Contracting Command has issued a request for information (W909MY14FLIRBKIT) on behalf of the Army's project manager, terrestrial sensor (PM TS), manager ground sensors (PdM GS) at Fort Belvoir for the Improved Forward Looking Infrared (IFLIR) B-Kit program.
The B-Kit sub-assemblies and electronic modules have four fields of view (FOV) afocal and imager optic able to take high-definition (HD) dual-band MWIR/LWIR images with 720-by-1280-pixel focal plane arrays, and thermal reference sources. B-Kits also have electronic cards and software for video processing, graphics/symbology, and vehicle interface controls.
Army officials also are interested in improvements to these B-Kits that could include image quality enhancements to include scene-based non-uniformity correction (NUC); dual-band IR image fusion; and NUC mechanism.
The B-Kit sub-assemblies, electronic modules, and the Dewar cooler bench (DCB) will be integrated on host platforms to compose an improved FLIR (I-FLIR) sensor.
The B-Kit provider will be responsible for integrating the DCB into the B-Kit design. The DCB will be provided as government furnished equipment (GFE) to the B-Kit provider for final integration and testing.
All interested companies or organizations are encouraged to respond to the RFI by providing the information within 21 days of this announcement.
Companies interested should email responses no later than 16 Dec. 2013 to the Army's William Salazar at [email protected], with a copy to Zun Lin at [email protected].
For questions or concerns contact Zun Lin by email at [email protected], or by phone at 703-704-0848.
More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/notices/cf96d6679ead255f53cbb78a123b57bc.
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.
