Daylight Solutions supports flight test with QCL systems

Jan. 25, 2011
Quantum-cascade laser (QCL) maker Daylight Solutions has reported that its laser systems recently completed several successful flight tests onboard U.S. military helicopter platforms.

San Diego, CAQuantum-cascade laser (QCL) maker Daylight Solutions has reported that its laser systems recently completed several successful flight tests onboard U.S. military helicopter platforms.

The high-power, multiwavelength “JammIR” QCL systems are environmentally ruggedized to operate under the conditions imposed by military rotary and fixed wing aircraft and have been demonstrated for applications that include chemical imaging, wide-area illumination, standoff detection, gas imaging, and infrared countermeasures (IRCM). The laser systems can be configured with up to eight different wavelengths, with output delivered either into free space or ruggedized fiber-optic cable.

The products were independently validated during government-witnessed flight testing to satisfy requirements for the protection of military aircraft from man-portable shoulder fired surface-to-air missiles (MANPADS).

“These successful flight tests have provided us with a significant increase in TRL (Technology Readiness Level) rating,” said Timothy Day, Daylight’s CEO/CTO. “We remain committed to working in partnership with both the defense and industrial communities to accelerate the production and deployment of our QCL technology.”

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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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