New lightweight infrared systems under development for Army.

• Author: Insinna, Valerie
• Position: SOLDIER TECHNOLOGY

* The Army is moving closer to fielding a next-generation infrared sensor that will allow soldiers to detect an enemy's heat signature at greater distances.

Raytheon officials said its third wave of forward-looking infrared devices, called FLIR, could be in soldiers' hands within a few years.

"We're working with the U.S. Army and other services to identify where in the cycle of programs it should feed in," said Hector M. Reyes, chief engineer for Raytheon missile systems. "I think that dearly we'll see it in the [Ground Combat Vehicle] when it is fielded, and my guess is probably before that."

Like night-vision goggles, soldiers can use FLIR to see in the dark. However, night-vision devices still need a small amount of light in order to work because they amplify existing light, said Donald Reago, acting director of the Army's night vision and electronic sensor directorate at the communications and electronics research, development and engineering center at Fort Belvoir, Va.

FLIR, which uses heat signatures to amplify an image, can be used in pitch-black conditions.

Raytheon demonstrated its newest infrared sensor system--the eLRAS3--at a media day in May. It has also been demonstrated to the Army, Reyes said.

The new FLIR is about half the weight of the ones currently in use and can be carried by one person instead of two, Reyes said.

The eLRAS3 can also detect a wider range of the infrared spectrum than its predecessors, said Jerry Toby, a business development...