RTX's Raytheon Unveils First Event-Based MWIR Camera for Real-Time High-Speed Threat Tracking

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Raytheon, an RTX business,  successfully demonstrated a new event-based mid-wave infrared (MWIR) camera that tracks high speed objects in real time while dramatically reducing processing and power demands. Unlike traditional cameras that capture full frames and rely on software to detect changes, event-based cameras track only pixel-level motion, producing a continuous stream of events.

During a demonstration in Northern California, the event-based camera tracked multiple targets, including ground vehicles, aircraft, and live fires, by capturing rapid motion not achievable with conventional frame-based infrared cameras. By reporting only changes in motion rather than full image frames, the camera was able to deliver a near-instantaneous view of activity happening during the exercise.

"This technology represents a new way of sensing the world in mid-wave infrared," said Colin Whelan, president of Advanced Technology at Raytheon. "By focusing only on motion instead of recording every frame and analyzing after the fact, we gain the ability to track very fast objects with far less data and processing, enabling much quicker threat detection and response time."

This capability opens the door to a wide range of defense and national security applications, particularly in environments where speed, clutter, and high volumes of data challenge existing sensors and processors. This includes enhanced battlefield awareness and base protection, smarter missile guidance, and more effective surveillance from aircraft and unmanned systems.

Developed under the DARPA-funded Fast Event-based Neuromorphic Camera and Electronics (FENCE) program, the camera was built from the ground up as a new sensing architecture. With the initial contract complete, Raytheon's Advanced Technology team is now exploring follow on demonstrations and data collection that would showcase the sensor across a broader set of mission scenarios and target types.