SOURCE: AFI
The Indian Army is bolstering its anti-tank capabilities with the integration of advanced thermal imaging technology on its Konkurs-M anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). This upgrade equips the Konkurs-M with the Sarisa LWIR thermal imager, developed by the Indian company Tonbo Imaging.
The Sarisa LWIR thermal imager is a significant upgrade for the Konkurs-M ATGM system. This cooled Long-Wave Infrared (LWIR) imager offers superior detection, recognition, and identification of targets at extended ranges, even in challenging day and night conditions or adverse weather.
The Sarisa’s thermal imaging capabilities allow soldiers to effectively lock onto stationary or moving targets before launching the missile. This significantly enhances the accuracy and effectiveness of the Konkurs-M system, particularly during nighttime engagements.
The Sarisa is designed for seamless integration with the Konkurs-M launcher. Supplied with special mounting brackets, the imager is positioned in front of the existing missile launcher’s optics channel.
A key feature of the Sarisa is its special collimated optics. This eliminates the need for time-consuming zeroing procedures before launch, allowing soldiers to deploy the Konkurs-M system more rapidly in critical situations.
The Sarisa is built with ruggedness in mind. Ergonomic design features, including absorbers around the housing, safeguard the imager during operation. Additionally, an absorber face shield protects the soldier’s face from the heat generated during missile launch.