Teledyne Qioptiq redefines soldier lethality and reduces burden

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The tempo of modern warfare means dismounted soldiers must act fast. Increasing their lethality is critical to saving lives and achieving successful missions. The way modern armed forces generate that lethality is undergoing a fundamental shift.

For Teledyne Qioptiq, innovations in optics are redefining how soldiers interact with their environments, providing enhanced precision, better decision-making tools and greater safety in combat.

"Everything we do in the electro-optics world is about enhancing lethality," says Steve Rickard, Business Development Director at Teledyne Qioptiq. "It's easy to focus on the weapon, the ammunition, sighting system, training and so on in isolation, but everything contributes. Our job is to make sure soldiers have the right kit and the right information at the right time, so that they can make the right decisions earlier, faster and at greater ranges than an adversary."

Reducing the burden

The challenge is that capabilities are often simply bolted on, such as onto separate rifle rails, each with its own power demands and interfaces. Every bolt-on adds weight and complexity. Consider "error budgets" for dismounted close combat. The factors that determine how quickly and accurately a soldier can put the first round on target are always range, information speed and weight.

"This 'stuck-on' architecture risks holding soldiers back. Thirty kilos of lightweight kit is still thirty kilos soldiers have to carry around," Steve explains. "They need more information and capability, but they don't want more equipment strapped on. The goal is to shrink, not stack."

To combat this, Teledyne Qioptiq focuses on true system integration. "There will come a day when the weapon system dovetails with the sighting system, where the optics aren't afterthoughts bolted on, but part of an integrated solution. We're already working on the next generation of sighting systems that can actually enable and enhance lethality - and we're doing it by taking a more integrated approach."

A number of nations are currently looking at replacing legacy rifles, with new technology, including the UK MoD with Project Grayburn, which presents the idel aopportunity to look holistically at the "Lethality System" as a whole, rather than individual components.

The company points to the TALON fused night vision/thermal sight as an early marker. Now, new high-definition, low-power sensors emerging across the Teledyne group and on the broader market promise another leap.

"Sensors are getting smaller and lighter with higher resolutions. It's like we're all using an iPhone 10 today, but the iPhone 16 is just around the corner. We're excited about what this generation of sensors will unlock: more range, more sensitivity, better definition without making things bigger."

Spiral development

Another enabler is spiral development, an approach Teledyne Qioptiq is using to shape its engineering, particularly as digitisation becomes more prevalent.

"It's very unlikely that weapon platforms will sit unchanged for 40 years anymore. Capabilities move much faster. With spiral development, incremental upgrades can keep pace with technology and keep improving lethality without waiting for full replacement cycles."

The next layer of lethality - digital fusion, AI and machine learning

While integration and improved sensors are making the difference today, the next three to five years will see rapid shifts in how soldiers interpret and interact on the battlefield, driven by digitalisation, including AI and machine learning.

Teledyne Qioptiq is already embedding such innovations into its roadmap. "We're very much looking at digital sensing technology, AI-assisted detection, and machine-supported recognition, all aimed to help detect, recognise and identify threats faster than humans can alone. These sensors can process more information faster, notifying the soldier that something is worth looking at. That early cue could be decisive."

Passive target tracking, which continuously updates the soldier's point of aim as the target moves or changes behaviour. Instead of the user needing to repeatedly re-acquire their aim point, the system interprets the motion in the scene and subtly adjusts the aim reference to maintain accuracy. This applies across individual targets, groups, and even vehicles, helping soldiers engage moving threats with greater confidence and speed.

Motion estimation, where the sight analyses patterns in how targets accelerate, decelerate or change direction, and feeds this back to the user. In high-stress, fast-moving close combat, subtle changes in movement are easy for humans to miss. By detecting these changes and cueing the soldier earlier, the system can help users maintain tracking, anticipate target shifts, and reduce the cognitive load that typically leads to errors.

Turbulence, mirage and wind effects can offset ballistics. With atmospheric analysis, on-board sensors can reference visual cues in the environment, so the optic can suggest wind corrections or highlight areas of distortion that might affect shot placement. This becomes particularly valuable at extended ranges, where environmental factors have the greatest impact and where dismounted soldiers traditionally rely on judgement rather than tools.

Looking ahead: quantum sensing and beyond

The company is also exploring emerging technologies, including quantum sensing, new spectral bands, and unconventional sensor architectures.

"We're always looking for ways to see parts of the spectrum that others can't, or to be more sensitive within the bands we already use. Anything that helps soldiers see the world better and faster than the adversary is worth pursuing," explains Steve.
Ultimately, he sees future lethality as the combined power of better sensors, better integration, better information flows and better training.

Conclusion

As technologies evolve, they will redefine how soldiers interact with their environments, providing them with enhanced precision, better decision-making tools and improved safety in combat situations.

Teledyne Qioptiq is playing a vital role in these developments, pushing the boundaries of optics to create systems that will serve soldiers on an increasingly digital and interconnected battlefield, together ensuring they are better equipped to meet the challenges of modern warfare.

For more information please visit:
https://www.teledyne-ade.com