Daylight Defense awarded Navy contract to develop IR-countermeasure QCL systems

July 29, 2010
Daylight Defense LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Daylight Solutions (Poway, CA), has been awarded a $5.7 million contract from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory to develop QCL technology-demonstrator units.

San Diego, CA--Daylight Defense LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Daylight Solutions (Poway, CA), has been awarded a $5.7 million contract from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory to develop technology-demonstrator units using their quantum cascade laser (QCL) technology. These QCL systems will address emerging requirements for directional infrared countermeasure (IRCM) systems.

Daylight Defense has extensive experience in designing and delivering military-hardened, multiwatt, multiwavelength laser systems for IRCM applications. Putting Daylight Defense's QCL technology into IRCM systems is expected to yield immediate benefits in size, weight and power consumption. At the same time, this technology and its modular system architecture, provide clear upgrade paths to address future threats and requirements.

"We are pleased to be working with the Navy to deliver best-in-class, ruggedized laser systems to the warfighter using our QCL technology," said Daylight Defense's CEO, Timothy Day. "These systems showcase the capabilities that are inherent in our design approach, and will bring tremendous benefit in reliability, size, weight, and power."

Daylight Defense manufactures high-power mid-IR laser based systems for defense and homeland-security applications. The company provides mid-wave (MWIR) and long-wave (LWIR) thermal laser pointers, sensors for stand-off detection of explosives and chemical agents, and high-power illuminators for thermal imaging and aiming.

About the Author

John Wallace | Senior Technical Editor (1998-2022)

John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years, retiring in late June 2022. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester. Before becoming an editor, John worked as an engineer at RCA, Exxon, Eastman Kodak, and GCA Corporation.

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