News
Countering the Invisible:
Optical Engineering for Laser Threat Detection and Protection
The modern battlespace has entered a new domain - one where invisible energy can identify, disable, or deceive before conventional weapons ever engage.
Lasers now underpin both offensive and defensive systems, ranging from compact rangefinders and target designators to dazzlers and high-energy directed-energy weapons (DEWs). Their precision, coherence, and near-instantaneous propagation make them formidable - and difficult to detect until they strike.
To counter these risks, G&H has advanced a portfolio of optical technologies that transform traditional sighting and viewing systems into active detection and protection platforms. The aim is not just to see further but to sense smarter: detecting, classifying, and mitigating laser energy across multiple wavelengths in real time.
Embedded Sensing: Integrating Laser Warning Into Periscopic Optics
Conventional vehicle optics were designed for passive imaging under harsh conditions. Today’s threat environment demands that the same optical paths also function as early-warning sensors. Working with Sentinel Photonics, G&H developed an integrated periscope solution that embeds a laser warning receiver directly within the optical relay.
The design uses narrow-band detectors coupled through beam-sampling elements positioned within the periscope’s optical train. This allows continuous 360° monitoring of incident laser energy without affecting optical throughput or image contrast. When a pulse is detected, onboard processing determines wavelength, intensity, and bearing, providing a warning to the crew within milliseconds.
Because the detection module is optically and mechanically co-aligned with the periscope, it maintains boresight accuracy and requires no additional operator interface - significantly simplifying retrofit into legacy platforms. The result is a self-contained optical subsystem that acts as both window and shield.
Field Optics Protection: FROST Filters for Dismounted Systems
At the individual level, a riflescope or observation optic can unintentionally reflect a laser signature back to the source, revealing a soldier’s position. A direct hit can also dazzle the reticle or cause sensor bloom on digital sights.
G&H | Artemis and Sentinel Photonics addressed this with the FROST (Field-Ready Optical Suppression Technology) series: multilayer thin-film filters deposited on precision substrates designed to block specific laser emission bands (typically 532 nm, 808 nm, and 1064 nm) while preserving high transmission in the visible and NIR imaging ranges.
In addition to spectral blocking, the filters incorporate an engineered surface microtexture to disrupt specular retroreflection, reducing the probability of detection by laser rangefinders. The assemblies are designed for shock resistance and environmental durability, meeting MIL-STD-810 thermal and abrasion requirements.
Reticle Fabrication: Microlithography for Precision Targeting
Through the acquisition of Global Photonics in Tampa, G&H now produces microlithographic reticles with feature tolerances to ±0.002 mm. Fabrication takes place in ISO-class cleanrooms using photolithographic patterning on glass or fused-silica substrates, followed by ion-beam sputtered coatings to enhance contrast and resist laser damage.
These custom reticles form the precision interface between operator and target within fire-control, imaging, or test systems. Variable pattern geometries and coatings enable optimization for both optical and digital sighting channels.
Systems Integration: From Optical Subcomponents to Sensor Fusion
Modern defense platforms demand reduced SWaP (size, weight, and power) and unified data connectivity. G&H’s Embedded Image Periscope (EIP) architecture addresses this by combining relaxed-view biocular optics with an internal electronic imaging path and high-definition display module. The configuration supports both direct and indirect viewing modes, enabling smooth transition between optical and digital imagery.
When networked with AI-enabled vision suites such as Overview’s PodView 2500, the EIP feeds image data and laser-warning telemetry into a fused situational-awareness system capable of real-time analysis, object recognition, and automated countermeasure cueing.
This optical-electronic convergence marks the shift from passive observation to active threat management - without increasing cognitive load for the operator.
Manufacturing Synergy and Mission Readiness
G&H has created a vertically aligned defense optics ecosystem in the United Kingdom and the United States. This structure allows rapid iteration from materials research through finished subsystems, ensuring spectral performance, environmental hardening, and interoperability from design to deployment.
Laser-based threats will continue to diversify across the electromagnetic spectrum, from visible to mid-infrared. Countering them requires equally agile optics - systems capable of distinguishing friend from foe emissions, tolerating high-energy exposure, and interfacing directly with vehicle or soldier-borne electronics.
Through sustained R&D in materials, coatings, and opto-mechanical integration, G&H is advancing the next generation of intelligent optical protection - solutions that safeguard crews and maintain tactical superiority.
