Optical coatings for defence systems
Helia supplies high‑reliability coated optics and processed devices into fighter aircraft, land systems and other defence electro‑optical platforms. We design and qualify thin‑film stacks and back‑end processes so that gyros, detector arrays and rugged optics keep their performance through vibration, temperature extremes and long service lives.
Who this is for
We work with defence primes, their Tier‑1 and Tier‑2 suppliers, and specialist OEMs building electro‑optical sub‑systems for land, air and maritime platforms.
Platform and system integrators
- Targeting and surveillance optics on fighter aircraft, UAVs and land systems.
- EO/IR turrets, sights and situational‑awareness sensors with tight loss and durability budgets.
- Missile guidance and tracking optics exposed to high speeds, vibration and harsh environments.
- Windows, domes and sensor front‑ends that must remain stable over long service lives.
Electro-optical sub-system OEMs
- Optical gyroscopes and inertial sensors requiring low‑loss, stable coatings.
- Detector arrays and focal‑plane assemblies with mosaic or edge filters.
- Ruggedised micro‑optics and assemblies that combine coating with back‑end processing.
- Suppliers who need coated optics and processed devices that drop into larger EO systems.
The challenge
Defence electro‑optical systems expect optics to survive vibration, shock, humidity and wide temperature ranges while holding tight spectral and scatter budgets. Coatings that are acceptable in benign lab or commercial conditions often drift, fail prematurely or generate excess stray light once they are on the platform.
Harsh operating environments
- High G‑loads, vibration and mechanical shock on air, land and guided platforms.
- Thermal cycling across wide ranges during storage, warm‑up and operation.
- Exposure to humidity, dust, fuels and cleaning agents over long service lives.
- Mechanical and thermal stresses from mismatched CTE between coating and substrate.
Mission‑critical reliability
- Very low tolerance for coating‑related failures or performance drift in service.
- Long qualification cycles and pressure to freeze designs early in the programme.
- Limited access for inspection, maintenance or rework once systems are deployed.
- Formal quality, traceability and configuration‑control requirements from primes.
Complex optical specifications
- Performance across multiple spectral bands within the same sensor or turret.
- Tight control of polarisation, angle of incidence and scatter/veiling glare.
- Defined laser‑damage thresholds and durability against sand, rain and abrasion tests.
- Compliance with relevant military and customer‑specific standards and test methods.
Our solutions
Helia develops and qualifies optical coatings and processed devices for defence sensors, sights and guidance systems where performance has to stay within tolerance across the full platform environment.
Rugged coatings for defence optics
Coatings are engineered to handle vibration, shock, humidity and temperature cycling while maintaining the required spectral response, scatter and durability.
- Material sets covering UV, visible, NIR and IR for EO/IR sensors and laser systems.
- Stress‑managed stacks to limit birefringence and reduce fracture risk on sensitive substrates.
- Designs tuned for low scatter and controlled angle‑of‑incidence behaviour.
- Options for hardened, cleanable surfaces on exposed windows, domes and sensor front‑ends.
- Coatings specified with the platform’s thermal and mechanical envelope in mind.
Qualification to military requirements
Coatings are qualified against the environmental, optical and laser requirements defined by the defence programme so they can move into series production with controlled risk.
- Testing aligned with customer‑specified elements of military and environmental standards.
- Defined laser‑induced damage thresholds (LIDT) for stated wavelengths and pulse formats.
- Durability against humidity, salt environments, abrasion and cleaning agents where required.
- Characterisation of spectral performance, scatter and AOI response across the operating range.
- Documentation, traceability and data packs suitable for defence qualification and audits.
Coated and processed devices
Beyond discrete optics, Helia processes devices that combine coating with thinning, metallisation and electro‑optic test so they can be dropped into higher‑level assemblies.
- Optical gyroscope components with controlled loss and environmental stability.
- Detector arrays and focal‑plane assemblies with mosaic or edge filters.
- Ruggedised micro‑optics on wafers, bars or sub‑mounts for compact EO modules.
- Integration of back‑metal application, facet coatings and inspection into one flow.
- Test regimes that link optical and electrical performance to coating and process parameters.
Technical capabilities
Helia’s coating, processing and metrology facilities are set up for demanding defence optics and devices, from process control through to verification and documentation.
Advanced deposition
- Ion‑beam sputtering (IBS) for ultra‑stable, low‑scatter coatings.
- Ion‑assisted deposition (IAD) for dense, durable thin films.
- Magnetron sputtering for metals and functional layers.
- Plasma‑enhanced processes for tailored film properties.
- Multi‑chamber platforms for complex, multi‑material stacks.
Materials expertise
- Material sets covering 0.2–30 µm for UV, visible, NIR and IR defence systems.
- Oxides, fluorides, sulphides, selenides, tellurides and metals for specialised designs.
- Low‑stress coating architectures for sensitive or lightweight substrates.
- Process controls to minimise contamination and maintain batch‑to‑batch stability.
- Development of custom material combinations for programme‑specific requirements.
Quality and verification
- Environmental stress testing to customer‑defined profiles.
- Laser‑induced damage threshold (LIDT) testing for specified formats.
- Spectral characterisation over the required bands and angles of incidence.
- Adhesion, durability and surface‑quality assessment of coating stacks.
- Full traceability, data packs and documentation to support defence qualification.
Development process
Our development flow is set up to give you predictable performance from first prototypes through to qualified series production on defence programmes.
Requirements analysis
We work with your engineering team to understand platform environments, optical specifications, interfaces and applicable standards.
Design & simulation
Our optical engineers design coating stacks and device flows for your requirements and use thin‑film modelling to predict performance on your substrates.
Material and process selection
We select materials and deposition processes that meet the required environmental durability, optical performance and reliability.
Prototype fabrication
Initial coatings and devices are produced and tested to verify spectral performance, scatter, adhesion and basic environmental robustness.
Environmental and functional testing
Test plans can include thermal cycling, humidity, salt environments, mechanical stress and laser damage threshold verification, aligned with programme needs.
Qualification & production
Once the design is qualified, we lock down the process, documentation and traceability so that production can run repeatably over the life of the programme.
Ready to discuss your requirements?
Our team supports defence programmes with optical coatings and processed devices engineered for the environments, lifetimes and qualification routes your systems have to meet.
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