Under a Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory, Special Optics Inc. of Wharton, N.J., will design a wide-angle imaging system that operates in the mid-IR and can zoom in on specified subregions of the wide field with high resolution.

Leading the program, which is titled "Non-Mechanical Wide-Angle Image-Pointing System," is J. Michael Finlan, Special Optics' business development manager. The company develops optical components and multielement optical systems for medical, military, industrial and semiconductor applications.