American Infrared Solutions (AIRS) is a U.S.-based provider of high-performance cooled infrared imaging systems serving the defense, scientific, and commercial sectors. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Hudson, New Hampshire, the company has built a reputation for delivering advanced thermal imaging solutions capable of meeting demanding electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) requirements across diverse environments. In October 2025, AIRS was acquired by Anduril Industries, a defense technology company focused on modernizing and integrating next-generation national security capabilities.
From its inception, AIRS focused on bridging the performance gap between traditional thermal imaging systems and emerging high-sensitivity infrared applications. Its products span multiple infrared spectral bands—including mid-wave infrared (MWIR), long-wave infrared (LWIR), and broadband—allowing customers to deploy imaging systems tailored for specific mission profiles and research needs. By combining expertise in cryogenic cooling, optical design, and detector integration, AIRS established itself as a supplier capable of solving complex sensing challenges for customers who require accuracy, stability, and rugged performance.
Founding, Location, and Strategic Direction
American Infrared Solutions was established in 2011 in Hudson, New Hampshire. The choice of location placed the firm within a broader New England ecosystem known for defense engineering, photonics, and precision manufacturing. The founding team included industry veterans with deep experience in EO/IR imaging from prominent defense and aerospace companies. Their collective expertise—spanning optical engineering, focal plane array technology, integrated cooler design, and sensor fusion—allowed AIRS to accelerate development without the typical learning curves encountered by new imaging firms.
From the outset, the company positioned itself toward high-performance cooled systems rather than the more common uncooled thermal imagers. This strategic decision aligned the company with customers in airborne ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance), hyperspectral research, scientific instrumentation, and precision surveillance, where cooled systems remain indispensable. As the company expanded, its focus on engineering-driven development and OEM partnerships helped establish AIRS as a trusted supplier within highly specialized niches.
Core Product Portfolio
AIRS’ product family includes Integrated Dewar Cooler Assemblies (IDCAs), imaging cores, modules, and complete camera systems. These components support MWIR, LWIR, and broadband imaging architectures, allowing defense and industrial partners to integrate thermal capabilities into wider system designs.
Integrated Dewar Cooler Assemblies (IDCAs)
IDCAs serve as the heart of many AIRS systems. They house the detector and cryogenic cooling mechanism within a sealed package to maintain low operating temperatures and suppress thermal noise. IDCAs are essential in missions where faint thermal signatures must be detected at long range or through atmospheric interference. AIRS’ experience in designing, manufacturing, and integrating IDCAs enabled customers to source reliable cooled cores for both new designs and legacy system upgrades.
Thermal Imaging Cores and Modules
AIRS produced a range of thermal imaging cores designed for OEM system integration. One notable offering includes the Nucleus HD OEM module, a compact, high-definition imaging architecture optimized for integrators who require performance, low size-weight-power (SWaP), and flexibility. These modules were built with embedded processing pipelines and configurable interfaces, supporting both military payloads and scientific instruments.
HOT MWIR Cameras and Custom Systems
AIRS also manufactured high-operating-temperature (HOT) MWIR cameras, including 640×512-format systems used in airborne payloads, tactical sensors, research optics, and surveillance systems. HOT detector technologies—such as Type II Strained Layer Superlattice (T2SLS) and HOT Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT)—enable higher operating temperatures relative to traditional MCT detectors, reducing cooler loads and enhancing reliability. AIRS supported customers needing turnkey camera systems as well as those requiring custom hyperspectral imaging solutions.
Spectral Capabilities and Specialized Sensing
Infrared imaging covers a broad electromagnetic range, and AIRS addressed multiple spectral domains. By providing both MWIR and LWIR imaging solutions, the company supported varying physics-driven requirements:
MWIR (Mid-Wave Infrared) is favored for high-sensitivity detection, airborne ISR, and missile warning systems due to favorable atmospheric transmission.
LWIR (Long-Wave Infrared) excels in thermal contrast systems, persistent surveillance, and industrial inspection, especially in ground environments.
Broadband configurations allow researchers to capture multiple spectral ranges simultaneously, which is useful for hyperspectral or multisensor fusion tasks.
These sensing technologies play critical roles in aerospace, defense targeting, scientific analysis, environmental monitoring, and orbital observation. AIRS’ ability to tailor detector materials, cooling architectures, and optical paths made the firm valuable to research institutions and OEM sensor system developers.
Technical Expertise and Engineering Competencies
The company’s competitive edge stemmed not only from its products but from its engineering maturity. AIRS developed deep expertise in multiple disciplines:
IDCA Integration
Cryogenic Cooling
Optical Design
Focal Plane Sensor Technology
Mechanical Packaging
Environmental Qualification
Its detector experience included next-generation materials such as Type 2 Strained Layer Superlattice (T2SLS) and HOT MCT, both of which enable improved sensitivity and reduced cooling loads. By deploying high-operating-temperature detectors, AIRS reduced system complexity and delivered improved reliability, size, and power performance for airborne platforms and scientific payloads.
Another distinguishing feature was AIRS’ experience in balancing size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints without sacrificing precision. For defense customers, SWaP optimization directly translates into tactical advantages, especially for unmanned aircraft, stabilized gimbals, and rugged handheld systems where every gram and watt counts.
Markets and Applications
American Infrared Solutions served a broad set of market verticals, each with distinct performance requirements and regulatory considerations.
Defense and National Security
In defense, AIRS technology supported missions requiring long-range detection, tracking, and identification. Applications included:
Airborne ISR payloads
Target acquisition and tracking systems
Surveillance gimbals and turrets
Counter-UAS and perimeter defense systems
Space-based sensing and missile warning architectures
Cooled infrared imaging remains vital in these domains due to its sensitivity, resolution, and ability to operate in degraded visual environments such as smoke, haze, or low-light conditions.
Scientific and Research Institutions
Research organizations deployed AIRS systems for tasks such as:
Hyperspectral imaging
Environmental and atmospheric studies
Space instrumentation
Optical materials research
Scientific environments demand stability, calibration accuracy, and spectral fidelity—areas where AIRS’ cryogenic systems provided measurable advantages.
OEM and Commercial Integrators
AIRS also supplied thermal imaging cores for OEM integrators. These partners incorporated AIRS modules into broader product ecosystems, creating industrial inspection tools, remote sensing instruments, and surveillance systems for critical infrastructure.
Leadership and Industry Lineage
One of AIRS’ defining strengths was the tenure and pedigree of its leadership. The company’s executive and engineering management collectively represented more than 150 years of EO/IR industry experience drawn from established firms such as:
FLIR Systems
General Dynamics
GE Aerospace
This background provided AIRS with institutional knowledge spanning military procurement, aerospace qualification, sensor physics, and high-volume optical manufacturing. As a result, the company could navigate complex program cycles while maintaining the agility of a smaller hardware manufacturer.
Acquisition by Anduril Industries
In October 2025, American Infrared Solutions was acquired by Anduril Industries. Anduril’s acquisition strategy over the preceding years revealed an intent to vertically integrate critical sensing technologies into its autonomous defense and security ecosystem. AIRS fit into this strategy as a supplier of foundational cooled infrared hardware used across airborne, maritime, ground, and space domains.
Prior to the acquisition, AIRS had supplied components used in Anduril’s imaging and sensing systems. Bringing AIRS into the Anduril family extended these relationships while preserving Hudson, New Hampshire as a center of cooled infrared engineering and manufacturing. For Anduril, the acquisition tightened supply chains, reduced integration timelines, and ensured that strategic sensor components remained under U.S. ownership and control—an increasingly important factor in the defense sector.
Strategic Significance of Cooled Infrared Imaging
The importance of cooled infrared imaging extends beyond traditional borders. Several factors have elevated its relevance:
Geopolitical competition has accelerated investment in ISR and counter-ISR technologies.
Autonomous systems now rely on multi-sensor perception, including thermal imaging.
Space-based sensing requires cryogenic detectors for astronomy and Earth observation.
Scientific research continues to adopt infrared imaging for spectroscopy and climate science.
Cooled sensors excel in detecting minute temperature differences at long distances, enabling them to spot missile plumes, identify camouflage, or measure environmental changes. As threat environments evolve—especially with drones, hypersonic systems, and electronic warfare—thermal sensing has become part of a layered intelligence and situational awareness fabric.
Operational Philosophy and Customer Integration
AIRS operated with an engineering-first philosophy focused on meeting customer-specific imaging challenges rather than pushing generic commercial products. Many of its customers required custom features such as:
Custom optical interfaces
Unique spectral filters
Specialized cryogenic cooling parameters
Space-grade materials and radiation tolerance
Non-standard data output protocols
This configurability differentiated AIRS from commodity thermal imaging manufacturers whose uncooled systems serve mass surveillance or industrial inspection markets. Most AIRS deployments demanded high-reliability components capable of surviving extreme temperatures, vibration, altitude, or vacuum environments.
Role Within the Infrared Imaging Ecosystem
To understand AIRS’ niche, it is useful to view infrared imaging as a layered ecosystem. At one end are uncooled thermal imagers found in consumer drones and security cameras. These excel in cost and convenience but lack the sensitivity of cooled systems.
At the opposite end are cooled, cryogenic infrared systems—AIRS’ core domain—which remain essential for:
Strategic reconnaissance
Scientific instruments
Space sensing
High-end military targeting
By operating in this upper tier, AIRS contributed to an industry segment where performance rather than volume dictates business strategy.
Conclusion
American Infrared Solutions represents a case study in how specialized sensing companies shape modern defense, research, and industrial ecosystems. From its founding in 2011, the company built a strong position in cooled infrared imaging through its expertise in IDCAs, detector integration, optical design, and cryogenic engineering. Its technology enabled defense ISR platforms, research laboratories, airborne systems, and space-oriented payloads to capture data otherwise inaccessible to conventional sensors.
The 2025 acquisition by Anduril Industries demonstrates the strategic value of cooled infrared technologies in an era defined by autonomous systems, contested airspace, and growing demand for real-time sensing across multiple environments. By integrating AIRS, Anduril ensured that advanced thermal sensing capabilities remain embedded within American defense and scientific infrastructure. For scientists, system integrators, and military planners alike, AIRS’ legacy lies in its ability to reveal what the human eye cannot see—and to do so with precision, sensitivity, and reliability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is American Infrared Solutions (AIRS)?
AIRS is a U.S.-based company specializing in high-performance cooled infrared imaging systems for defense, scientific, and commercial applications.
What products does AIRS offer?
The company produces Integrated Dewar Cooler Assemblies (IDCAs), thermal imaging cores, OEM modules like Nucleus HD, HOT MWIR cameras, and custom systems for hyperspectral and space applications.
Which industries use AIRS technology?
AIRS serves military ISR, airborne systems, space and scientific research, OEM partners, and specialized commercial imaging applications.
Why was AIRS acquired by Anduril Industries?
Anduril acquired AIRS to integrate its advanced infrared sensors into autonomous and multi-domain defense systems while maintaining OEM support and production capabilities.
Where is AIRS headquartered?
The company is based in Hudson, New Hampshire, where it designs, manufactures, and tests its cooled infrared imaging systems.
