Advanced Photonix Inc. will develop a custom-built photodiode for the U.S. Navy’s ship self-defense weapon under a $1.6 million, 18-month contract from an unnamed military contractor.
The photodiodes, semiconductor devices that convert photons of light to generate current, will be made for the RIM-116 rolling airframe missile program, API said Monday.
API will design the optoelectronic solution for the RAM’s Block 2 configuration now in low rate initial production.
API President and CEO Richard Kurtz described the Navy’s guided missile weapon system, a U.S.-Germany joint effort to provide ship protection against air and surface threats, as a “vital†and “reliable†program for the service.
“This is an ongoing program which we have been fortunate to have for the past 15 years and expect this program to continue into the future,” Kurtz said.