Company Profile
Recon/Optical, Inc.
Company Overview
Recon Optical is the oldest continuously operating aerial reconnaissance corporation in the world, and is now one of the worlds largest producers of stabilized remotely-operated weapons systems (SRWS™). Today, over 3000 of our film and digital cameras and hundreds of our RAVEN™ SRWS are in operation around the globe.
We are currently in production of the world's most sophisticated and capable family of dual spectral band (visible and infrared) cameras: the medium-altitude CA-270 and the high-altitude CA-295. Recon Optical is currently supplying CA-279/M and CA-279/H digital reconnaissance cameras to the U.S. Navy for the F/A-18E/F aircraft SHAred Reconnaissance Pod (SHARP) program. SHARP represents the U.S. Navy's next-generation reconnaissance capability, and provides a quantum leap in digital reconnaissance operations for the U.S. Navy and our joint military forces. SHARP is currently deployed on board U.S. Navy aircraft carriers playing a significant role in our global fight against terrorism. We are also proud to be producing derivatives of these cameras for several foreign allies.
Company History
Recon/Optical, Inc. was founded in 1922 as an aerial survey company, pioneering the relatively new field of aerial photography and mapping. In 1930, the company developed a technique to replace plate film with strip film, the first of many innovative processes developed by the firm. From World War II through our current war on terrorism, ROI has played an important role in every major conflict involving our Nation and our Allies around the world: our high-speed cameras were used during the Cuban Missile Crisis to prove the existence of the missiles; our cameras provided vital intelligence during the Vietnam conflict; and ROI cameras and imaging systems captured more than 4 million images during Desert Storm, including virtually all the allied forces’ tactical reconnaissance and bomb damage assessment. More importantly, the reconnaissance systems provided by ROI in peacetime have played major roles in the prevention of conflict and force protection for our U.S. Armed Services and Allies throughout the world.
ROI’s digital camera experience is extensive and spans more than 29 years. In 1973, ROI built the first tactical airborne CCD digital camera for the U.S. Air Force. ROI pioneered digital framing reconnaissance technology with the invention of the wafer scale focal plane array with on-chip motion compensation in 1990. This patented, electronic, on-chip motion compensation technology makes tactical framing possible. The concept was demonstrated using a 4-Mpixel array in 1992. In 1993, ROI demonstrated the effectiveness of digital framing in flight under tactical operating conditions on the RF-4 and F-14 aircraft. ROI subsequently developed a 25-Mpixel version of this array, which was successfully demonstrated in 1996. In 1998, ROI began a series of successful flight demonstrations of our digital IR framing camera. Under contract with the U.S. Navy, ROI recently developed and successfully flight-tested our dual spectral band (IR/visible) digital reconnaissance camera systems.
During the 1980’s, ROI emerged as a major producer of optical gun sights and targeting systems. Products included TOW missile sights and image transfer assemblies, helicopter sighting stations, the air defense sight for Avenger, and a wide range of head up displays and lead computing optical sights for fire control. Combining the expertise gained from this experience with our stabilization technology, ROI developed our latest line of stabilized, remotely operated weapon stations, and the development of state-of-the-art chemical scanners for use in chemical warfare detection units.
Notable Products / Brands
CAI - Chicago Aerial Industries; FPT-Force Protection Technologies; PO - Pacific Optical
Benefits
Education Assistance, Legal Plan, Identity Theft Plan, Credit Union, Personal Insurances
We offer a competitive compensation package and a dynamic work environment.