SWIR's quiet rise: seeing through haze, glass, and laser designator beams
DroneZone Desk · · 4 min read
SWIR's ability to see laser designator spots and penetrate haze and glass addresses persistent targeting gaps in contested environments. Falling InGaAs prices signal a shift from niche to mainstream, enabling wider deployment on UAVs and ground systems. This matters for procurement because it enhances precision engagement and situational awareness, potentially reducing reliance on traditional EO/IR. We expect accelerated integration into next-gen targeting pods and drone sensors, driving competition among detector suppliers and reshaping sensor fusion architectures.
The news that short-wave infrared (SWIR) sensors are becoming more affordable and capable may seem like a niche technical development, but it signals a quiet revolution in how militaries will see and target on future battlefields. SWIR, which operates in the 1-3 micron band, offers unique advantages: it can detect laser designator spots that are invisible to standard infrared sensors, and it can see through haze, smoke, and glass that block or scatter other wavelengths. As InGaAs detector prices fall, SWIR is poised to move from specialized applications to widespread deployment across UAVs, ground vehicles, and dismounted soldier systems. This shift will have profound implications for targeting, surveillance, and survivability.
At its core, SWIR technology relies on indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) focal plane arrays, which are sensitive to the shorter infrared wavelengths that reflected sunlight and laser energy occupy. Unlike mid-wave or long-wave infrared, which detect thermal emissions, SWIR works more like visible-light imaging but in a band that is invisible to the naked eye. This allows it to capture laser spots from designators and rangefinders, which are typically in the 1.06 or 1.55 micron range, and to see through atmospheric obscurants that scatter shorter wavelengths. The challenge has always been cost: InGaAs detectors require complex epitaxial growth and cooling, making them expensive compared to silicon-based visible sensors or microbolometers. But recent advances in manufacturing, including larger wafers and improved yields, are driving prices down. As a result, SWIR is no longer confined to high-end targeting pods; it is appearing in smaller, cheaper packages suitable for attritable drones and even rifle scopes.
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Short-wave infrared sensors see designator laser spots and through some haze and glass, and InGaAs detector prices are falling.