Rotem develops hyper-hemispherical sapphire domes
The Crystals Division of Israeli manufacturer Rotem Industries announced today that it had manufactured the first production series of hyper-hemispherical (240 degrees or more) sapphire domes dedicated for Directional Infrared Counter Measures (DIRCM)/Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) type applications.
According to the company, the new domes solve problems in current systems’ design such as limited field of view, optical obstacles and huge drag. The company stated that: ‘This development demonstrates how a real terrorism threat led toward the rapid efficient development of the new Hyper Hemispherical Sapphire Domes that enable new capabilities that were not available before. The threat is all those shoulder-fired missiles used by terrorists aiming to take down commercial aircrafts or helicopters mainly during landings or takeoffs’.
the development followed a decision by the Israeli Ministry of Transportation to equip Israeli airlines with laser-based anti-missile systems. Elbit Systems was chosen as the main contractor, while Rotem Industries provides the sapphire hyper-hemispherical domes.
Benny Ballin, head of the Crystals Division at Rotem, added, ‘this development enables the design of new DIRCM/CIRCM and other optical systems with new high performance levels never seen before. There is no doubt that this technological breakthrough will arouse interest and widen new systems’ boundary limitations for optical designers, allowing a whole new approach for systems capabilities.’
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