Navy orders improved all-weather eyes for the fleet
Ball Aerospace and Technologies (Broomfield, CO) will build u¥to 165 Marine All-Light-Level TV cameras for US Navy ships. The charge-coupled-device (CCD) cameras will operate from the visible to the near-infrared, 550 to 950 nm, and will be used for search, surveillance, target identification, weapon fire control, and navigation. The system replaces current vidicon cameras and provides higher resolution and better haze and fog penetration. The service has also ordered five Thermal Imaging Sensor Systems (TISSs), with thermal coverage from 3 to 5 µm, from McDonnell Douglas (Monrovia, CA) to provide long-range detection and recognition of small surface objects such as boats, mines, periscopes, cruise missiles, and swimmers.The TISS will also be used in navigation and search and seizure operations for contraband.