Raytheon Co. of Waltham, Mass., has been awarded $13.4 million by DARPA to develop a manufacturing process that will make thermal imagers more affordable for military use. Under the three-year contract, Raytheon Vision Systems of Goleta, Calif., will develop wafer-scale manufacturing processes to reduce the size, weight, power and cost of thermal cameras so that they can be integrated into cell phones and other portable electronics. Wider availability would enhance situational awareness and information sharing among dismounted soldiers and individual intelligence personnel, where a common view of the battlefield is critical.

Also, in support of Blackhawk helicopter operations, the US Army has awarded Raytheon Co. a $14.6 million contract to develop new image processing technology for the Advanced Distributed Aperture System (ADAS). The system is a multispectral technology that gives helicopter pilots 360° situational awareness, improving aircraft and crew survivability when operating in low-visibility conditions. The new processor will significantly enhance the system’s high-resolution imagery. The technology upgrade includes thermal cameras and a next-generation helmet-mounted display subsystem.

In April 2011, Raytheon successfully completed the integration of ADAS capabilities required by the US Department of Defense’s Joint Capability Technology Demonstrations program.