Defense & Military
Optics for American Defense
Every seeker, sight, and sensor is only as good as the glass in front of it. American Photonics builds that glass in America — with ITAR-registered processes and traceability from raw substrate to fielded system.
ITAR · NIST 800-171 · CMMC L2 IN PREPARATION
Why American Photonics
A Sovereign Supply Chain Is Not a Slogan. It's a Spec.
Foreign-sourced optics carry risks no program manager wants to brief: export entanglements, opaque sub-tiers, and lead times held hostage by geopolitics. American Photonics eliminates them. Our optics are fabricated, coated, and inspected in Sarasota, Florida — with documented country of origin, serialized lot traceability, and a domestic Germanium reclaim program that keeps strategic IR material inside the United States. We serve defense primes, system integrators, and government programs that need a supplier they can audit, visit, and count on. Our compliance stack — ITAR, ISO 9001, and NIST SP 800-171 implementation in progress under DFARS 252.204-7012, with CMMC Level 2 assessment planned within DoD's Phase 2 implementation window (2026) — is a competitive advantage your program inherits on day one.
EO/IR Seekers & Missile Optics
Seeker domes, corrector lenses, and IR imaging elements built to survive launch shock, aerothermal loads, and the tightest boresight budgets in the business. Our optics sit at the front of the kill chain — where λ/10 is not a luxury.
Night Vision Systems
Objective and relay optics for image-intensified and fused night vision — maximum transmission where photons are scarce, rugged where the mission is not gentle.
Thermal Imaging & FLIR
Germanium and chalcogenide lens elements, windows, and complete objective sets for LWIR and MWIR imagers — from handheld sights to stabilized turrets.
Targeting & Laser Designation
Transmit and receive optics for laser rangefinders and designators — high damage thresholds, tight wavefront control, and coatings matched to 1.06 and 1.57 µm.
Rifle Scopes & Weapon Sights
Objective lenses, prisms, and protective windows for magnified optics, red dots, and clip-on thermal sights — built for recoil, rain, and zero drift.
ISR & Surveillance
Long-range imaging optics and multispectral windows for persistent surveillance platforms — airborne, maritime, and border security systems.
Directed Energy & High-Power Laser
Beam-train mirrors, windows, and focusing elements built for continuous high-power loads — where absorption is measured in parts per million and failure is not an option.
UAS & Drone Payloads
Lightweight EO/IR gimbal optics, payload lenses, and protective windows for unmanned aircraft — where every gram matters and every image is evidence.
Space & Satellite Systems
Star tracker optics, orbital imaging elements, and space-qualified windows built for launch loads, vacuum, thermal cycling, and radiation exposure.
Spectral Coverage
UV to LWIR. Covered.
One supplier across the full electro-optical spectrum — matched materials, matched coatings, one quality system.
Procurement
Contracting Information
What your contracts and small-business teams need to onboard American Photonics as a supplier.
| Business Profile | |
|---|---|
| Business size | Small Business (SB) |
| Location | 6621 19th St E Suite #101, Sarasota, FL 34243 — 100% U.S. manufacturing |
| Quality system | ISO 9001:2015 (DEKRA) |
Export Control — ITAR
American Photonics is registered with the U.S. Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (22 CFR 120–130). Registration code available upon request. ITAR technical data is handled within controlled systems.
DFARS Flow-Downs
We accept and flow down DFARS 252.204-7012 and support DFARS 252.204-7019/7020 assessment requirements.
Your Program Needs a Domestic Source. Here It Is.
Talk to our engineering team about qualification, traceability, and delivery for your EO/IR requirement.
Discuss Your Program