Posted by OSE Optics on April 16, 2026 6:02 am

The global defense and aerospace optics market continues to grow as programs modernize and sensor technology advances. Infrared targeting systems, night vision devices, and surveillance platforms need to operate in variable temperature ranges while surviving shock loads, vibration, and exposure to the elements.

Below, learn more about optical assembly and engineering for critical aerospace and defense requirements.

Traditional Glass Optical Assemblies: Ensuring Performance in Harsh Environments

Traditional glass optical assembly involves precision engineering, with material selection, design for manufacturability (DFM), and environmental stability impacting overall fit and performance. This involves combining durable glass materials with precision fabrication and mounting. Optimizing assemblies can mean reducing weight, minimizing distortion, or accounting for thermal expansion differences across the assembly.

Ruggedization: Withstanding Extreme Vibration and Shock

Military environments frequently involve vibration and shock levels that exceed commercial environments. As a result, optical assemblies often require ruggedization to perform in these conditions.

Environmental sealing and mounting lock components in place to support structural integrity. Active alignment during optic assembly compensates for manufacturing tolerances. Mechanical stabilization can involve using robust housings and other methods to improve stability in exposure to mechanical shock and vibration.

Athermalization for Thermal Correction

Temperature shifts create a few challenges that can impact optical assemblies. Glass expands at different rates than metal housings, which changes lens spacing. Glass refractive index also varies with temperature, degrading image quality.

Athermalization compensates through mechanical design. Housing materials are selected with thermal expansion coefficients that offset glass behavior. For wider temperature ranges, optical design compensation and mechanical compensation (i.e. with spring-loaded elements) are employed.

Using Specialized Coatings for Durability and Added Resistance

Certain defense and aerospace optical assemblies can benefit from coatings to enhance the following properties:

Durability. MIL-C-48497 and MIL-PRF-13830 specify abrasion resistance.
Environmental resistance. The right coatings can survive salt fog, humidity, and temperature cycling while resisting degradation.
Reduced surface reflection. Anti-reflective coatings can be applied to glass to eliminate or reduce hazards due to back-reflection.
Laser damage threshold. High-power systems can require coatings that resist thermal damage at operating wavelengths.

Coating options can be evaluated to optimize durability, transmission, and environmental resistance for each application.

Testing Optical Assemblies to Meet Industry Needs

Environmental testing validates the optic assemblies’ design decisions. Vibration testing is a method that reproduces field conditions using electrodynamic shakers, while thermal cycling moves assemblies between temperature extremes.

Optical testing at temperature verifies athermalization performance. After each cycle, engineers measure image quality, focus, and alignment to confirm the system remains within specification before delivery.

OSE Optics: Partners in Aerospace and Defense Optical Assembly

Defense optical components and aerospace optics succeed or fail based on engineering details. Ruggedized mounting systems protect glass elements. Athermalization maintains focus across temperature ranges, and specialized coatings resist environmental degradation, while testing validates performance before deployment.

OSE Optics specializes in precision optical assemblies for defense and aerospace requirements. Founded in 2015, the company has experience providing lens assemblies, fiber optic components, optomechanical integration, and metrology services.