IR Tech Displayed in IFV Systems

Sofradir and its subsidiary, ULIS, announced that IR technologies from both firms will be on display on a Nexter VBCI, a French infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), at AUSA, in Washington, DC, today through Wednesday, October 27. Sofradir is a maker of advanced IR detectors for military, space and industrial applications; ULIS is an IR vision specialist making uncooled thermal sensors for commercial and military applications,

AUSA (Association of the United States Army) is a private, nonprofit educational organization that supports the US Army. The AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition 2010 brings together major defense industry leaders, businesses and professionals from around the world.

“For more than a decade, Sofradir’s infrared products have been well-known for their reliable performance on battlefields,” said Philippe Bensussan, chairman and CEO of Sofradir, and chairman of ULIS. “Nexter VBCI is an infantry fighting vehicle currently deployed in Afghanistan that is using optronics capabilities provided by Sofradir and ULIS. Our inclusion provides continuing evidence of our ability to supply IR products that are combat-proven.”

On VBCI, Sofradir’s cooled infrared technology is part of the vehicle’s fire control systems, which was developed by Thales of Neuilly-sur-Seine. ULIS’ uncooled infrared technology is being used in a panoramic situation awareness system developed by Paris-based Sagem.

“It is important to display our uncooled infrared products at AUSA, as we look to create new opportunities in North America for our high-performance IR sensors that meet the stringent standards in military applications,” said Jean-François Delepau, managing director at ULIS. “Being recognized for supplying products that are combat-proven is an important milestone for us.”

Sofradir also will have products on display that it launched earlier this year: the Scorpio LW and dual-band Altair MMW. They respond to customer demands for low power consumption, TV format, longwave IR detectors and multiple wavelength IR detectors.

In addition, ULIS’ large format (1024 × 768), small pixel size (17 μm) uncooled infrared focal plane array – designed for high definition imaging applications – will be exhibited.

For more information, visit: www.sofradir.com