And, in regard to the quality of IR imaging, , , , I get this all the time. In 2002 I first took on the procurement and repair of the IR sensor for the Kiowa Warrior. The sensor was made in Germany and when it was first made many-years-ago it was The State Of The Art IR Sensor. Even though, IF I remember correctly, it had a Image resolution of around 320 (in TV picture terms you would understand). When we moved to designing a new, modern, IR sensor everybody on the Army Customer's side was Thrilled To Death with what we delivered. Yet it was only a little better than what we would call "480"! A "1080" image in the IR world was only a dream.

And, these sensors were certainly expensive and very "special". Sure, they were VERY expensive but not for the "Government waste" ideas you may have. On the Kiowa Warrior the "window" on the targeting system's outside shell (the window was germanium and only let if IR light) cost close to $3000 a piece, in "quantity". Germanium is a grey crystaline metal the Does Not pass "white light", only IR. At the time "Three Nines" germanium cost $2000 a kilo. "Three Nines" is tech speak for 99.999% purity. The price is set every day at the commodities market in London. We had to wait in line to buy it. Then all the IR lenses in the sensor were also Three Nines gemanium and had special, Top Secret, optical coatings that cost about $1200 each, and so on, , , , ,.

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