Lynred in France has developed a high-definition, cooled, infrared (IR) sensor that works across the whole medium wave (MW) band for counter UAV systems, writes Nick Flaherty.

The DRACO MW SL sensor combines SXGA 1280 x 1024 resolution at 60 Hz and 7.5 µm pixel pitch across the full MWIR spectral band of 3.7–4.8 µm.

Cameras on uncrewed vehicles and counter-UAV systems must operate efficiently in highly constrained environments while ensuring long-range detection and identification capabilities, including in conditions of degraded visibility such as smoke, haze or total darkness. At the same time, system integrators want lighter, more compact and lower-power sensors capable of simplifying deployment and integration.

A gallium-based type II superlattice (T2SL) pixel array and a custom read-out integrated circuit allow a power consumption of 100 mW, and the sensor operates at a temperature of 130 K. This enables a size of 56 x 77 x 72.5 mm. The K588 cryocooler takes 14 W of power for the cooling and 4.7 W in operation.

Unlike previous MWIR solutions limited to narrower spectral ranges, the DRACO MW SL operates across the full MWIR band, improving performance in photon-limited environments such as cold or humid conditions. It also has a lifetime of 32,000 hours.

The sensor is also part of Lynred’s PlugUp platform, which standardises interfaces and streamlines integration of cooled detectors. This simplifies product integration into OEM cameras by using a split linear cooler.