Raytheon Supplying Thermal Sights

Raytheon’s Vision Systems in Goleta will help supply up to $2.6 billion worth of thermal weapon sights to the US Army and other services, under a five-year contract starting in December. “This technology allows our warfighters to own the night and maintain the combat overmatch they deserve,” said Glynn Raymer, vice president of Raytheon’s Texas-based Network Centric Systems/Combat Systems, as quoted in Raytheon’s July 3 announcement of the contract. Raytheon has used the phrase “own the night” in previous TWS contract award announcements; it has supplied 28,000 thermal sights since the Army first started using them in the field in the 1990s. The new, improved AN/PAS-13 heat sensor is smaller, more lightweight, and uses less energy than its predecessor, and like its predecessor can detect and target potential enemies “day or night, in zero illumination, or in fog, smoke, dust and sand,” according to the announcement. The first shipment of 5,000 sights is worth $60 million; a total of 150,000 may be ordered at a fixed price during the life of the contract. Massachussets-based Raytheon, specializing in military technology, reported sales of $20.3 billion last year.