High operating temperature (HOT) midwave infrared (MWIR) 6 µm pitch camera core performance and maturity

Leonardo DRS (DRS) has developed High Operating Temperature (HOT) HgCdTe detector material, small-pitch focal plane arrays and ultra-compact Dewar/cooler assemblies. These breakthrough technologies arc integrated into a high-definition version of our micro camera core. This report provides an update on the performance, reliability and maturity of the HexaBlu (R) 1280 x 960, 6 mu m pitch midwave camera core. The HexaBlu (R) weighs <0.65 lbs., displaces <80 cm(3), and achieves a Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference (NETD) of 27 mK at f/2.62 with full well at a 335 K scene. This sensitivity is complemented by a Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) within 2% of theoretical for DRS's detector architecture. Together, low NETD and high MTF enable sharp long-range imagery. The Camera Core dissipates 4.5 W and achieves cooldown in similar to 2.5 minutes at 25 degrees C, while providing onboard non-uniformity correction and bad pixel replacement. DRS predicts a mean time between failure >23,900 hours in an environment cycling between 15 degrees C and 64 degrees C. In ongoing accelerated life testing, the cooler has averaged over 26,700 failure free hours in a 72 hour thermal cycle, and the Dewar has averaged 100,000 failure free hours at >= 70 degrees C ambient. Now in limited rate production, the HexaBlu (R) leverages 95% design commonality with the Dewar/cooler assembly in fielded systems.