Russia: Rostec develops first fully indigenous cooled thermal imager with an integrated quantum well-infrared photodetector

Russia’s industrial conglomerate Rostec has reportedly developed the country’s first fully indigenous cooled thermal imager.

The new thermal imager has been designed by the research-and scientific institute TsNII Cyclone (a subsidiary of Rostec’s holding Roselektronika). The system is capable of recognising an object at a distance of 3,500 meters in a 10.5×78° field-of-view.

“The new high-sensitive thermal imager integrates a quantum well-infrared photodetector [QWIP], an infrared diffractive optics, and a micro-cryogenic cooler. The camera has been fitted with a 640×512 matrix,” said a spokesperson for the company.

The unit is produced in two configurations: multipurpose and a military-grade, with the latter intended for both man-portable and stationary sensor suites.

“Previously, Russian-made thermal imagers incorporated only foreign photodetectors, and the new unit is the first thermal camera built of Russian components only. The serial variant of the thermal imager has already been produced,” said Rostec Executive Director Oleg Yevtushenko.

In recent years, Rostec has largely invested in the development of indigenous thermal imagers. In 2018, Shvabe (a subsidiary of Rostec) launched the production of the Anakat-2 stationary thermal camera based on a 640×512 indigenous matrix.

Rostec’s NPO Orion unveiled at the Army 2019 defense show the first Russian short-wave infrared (SWIR) camera. 

Orion Scientific Production Association is part of the Shvabe Holding (Rostec group). Orion is a major designer, developer, and manufacturer of high technology military and aerospace electronics.