Since its founding, serving the defense and aerospace community has been a core market area for Surface Optics
Surface Optics is proud to have worked with the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Missile Defense Agency, DHS Chemical and Biological Defense, and the world’s largest defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Rolls Royce, Northrup Grumman, Airbus, L3 Technologies, Leidos, and many more.
Our optical property measurement and vacuum coatings lab focuses on the need for material property measurements in signature modeling and the related requirement for spectrally tailored coatings and paints for low-observable vehicles. Surface Optics reflectometers qualify for the desired infrared reflectance on combat vehicles and determine optical characteristics during the development of new aerospace materials. Our hyperspectral imaging systems have broad defense applications, including target detection for enhanced situational awareness in the field.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss with military decision-makers how our technology and products can address security needs.
Low Observables
Surface Optics specializes in passive signature suppression using spectral design to tune low observable (LO) vehicle appearance to minimize the contrast between the LO and its immediate background. We use physical vapor deposition coatings to create spectrally tailored flake pigment. Flake pigments are processed into paint or ink formulations with application and cure mechanics tailored to the operational environment. Wavelength-dependent reflectance and absorption are customized to customer requirements using design principles of optical interference coatings.
Target Detection
Defense applications for hyperspectral sensors are extensive and include surveying large areas to acquire targets, analyzing a scene without prior information of the materials to be encountered, identifying chemical agents in plumes, and tagging disturbed earth over buried objects. Our unique spectral imaging technology enables continuous live monitoring for increased situational awareness and is field-deployable mounted on vehicles or in a handheld configuration. Instant detection of chemical threat materials at a stand-off distance is of high value for ongoing and future military operations.
Advanced Material Development
Surface Optics instrumentation accelerates advanced materials development to meet 21st-century defense needs and optimize aircraft performance from component design to surface coating maintenance. Surface properties, namely thermal emissivity and solar absorptivity, are critical inputs during aerospace material development to compute potential heat transfer. The thermal analysis of materials during hardware development and testing is essential during vehicle development.
Electro-Optical/Infrared Signature Modeling
Signature modeling assesses the EO/IR detection vulnerabilities of ground, air, and maritime assets and identifies the spectral signatures of adversarial targets. Signature codes for scene simulations require inputting various parameterized measurement data to achieve realistic target and background features. Surface Optics provides measurement services and instrumentation to measure Directional Hemispherical Reflectance and bidirectional reflectance (BRDF) for spatial, spectral, and polarimetric characterization.