UK Firm Awarded Research Contract for Defense Technology

Intense Photonics Ltd. of High Blantyre, UK, has won an £80,000 contract from BAE Systems Avionics Group of Basildon, UK, for the Defence Technology Centre on Electromagnetic Remote Sensing. A supplier of optoelectronic products to the telecom, defense and printing industries, Intense Photonics will develop high-power 1.5-µm semiconductor lasers, focusing its research on enhancing the output power and beam quality of short-pulsed lasers.

The center has a three-year, £15 million contract to provide the UK's Ministry of Defence with cutting-edge research aimed at improving the performance and cost-effectiveness of sensing equipment. Besides BAE, members of the center's consortium are Thales Defence UK Ltd., Roke Manor Research Ltd. and Filtronic plc.