Continuing on its path of diversification and leveraging significant investment in soldier electro-optics, MKU is using Milipol Paris 2025 this week to unveil the AKSION thermal core, developed by its Netro Optronics Division.
Underlining the company’s strong commitment to empowering development and manufacture of advanced defence equipment in India, MKU also sees the show as an opportunity to highlight its ambition to becoming a trusted, technology-driven partner for electro-optics manufacturers across Europe. “We design not for laboratories, but for the battlefield, for the heroes who depend on absolute reliability,” commented Prachi Gupta, CEO of the Netro Optronics Division. “At Netro, our mission is to deliver clarity, awareness, survivability, and decision advantage to those who defend.”
In today’s increasingly complex, low-visibility, urban battlefield, thermal imaging has become an imperative for effective target acquisition, reconnaissance and survivability. The Netro AKSION addresses this need head-on, combining compact form, advanced imaging intelligence and multi-platform adaptability to deliver a decisive operational edge.
‘Aks,’ in Urdu, means reflection or image, while ‘ion’ symbolises energy, motion and transformation: used together, according to Ms Gupta, the name “represents how we channel innovation into confidence, giving the soldier what matters most: certainty in what they see”.
More important than the name, however, is the technology that lies at the heart of the new thermal core. A 12µm pixel pitch uncooled microbolometer sensor delivers higher pixel density, sharper thermal imagery and extended detection range than peer devices. The core integrates an advanced image processing suite, with features including contrast and brightness optimisation, denoising, contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalisation (CLAHE), white balancing, edge enhancement and bad pixel correction, ensuring precision imaging in multiple operational environments. Its intuitive human-machine interface (HMI) enables instant control over zoom, polarity inversion, NUC activation and image optimisation, eliminating the need for complex menu navigation. Additional features include selectable reticules and zeroing adjustability for weapon sight integration, digital zoom (up to 8x) with stable imagery and multiple video output interfaces (USB, RGB24, YCbCr, HDMI, MIPI-DSI). Certified to MIL-STD-810G and MIL-STD-461F, AKSION is built to perform in extreme climatic, vibrational and electromagnetic environments, ensuring consistent reliability where it matters most.
The device has been designed from the outset for multi-platform deployment, offering seamless adaptability across target acquisition systems, situational awareness devices, uncrewed aerial and ground systems and platform-mounted surveillance solutions. This flexibility opens new avenues for collaboration with European OEMs and system integrators, the company believes, enabling them to integrate AKSION into diverse mission architectures.
Netro has already successfully industrialised over 30 electro-optics solutions for soldier and platform applications, many of which are now operational with armed forces worldwide. Recently, the division secured a contract for over 29,000 image intensified weapon sights for the Indian armed forces. The company operates in-house optical and mechanical design, environmental and photometry testing labs conforming to MIL standards, and prototype-to-qualification frameworks, ensuring every product is battle-tested, field-ready, and industrially scalable. Build-to-Spec and Build-to-Print engagement models facilitate collaboration with OEMs and integrators across a wide variety of solutions, including platform and weapon integration.
“For our partners here today, whether you build weapon sights, surveillance systems, unmanned platforms, or multi-sensor fusion technologies, Netro is ready to support you from concept to capability,” said Ms. Gupta at Milipol Paris. “We are open to deep technology collaboration and ready to deliver the benefits of Indian engineering, grounded in manufacturing maturity, to deliver confidence globally.”
DA Comment
MKU has come a very long way in the forty years since its founding. From a supplier of carefully curated ballistic protection solutions – still a major component of the group’s expanded product range – MKU has diversified into sophisticated electro-optics and innovative maintenance, repair and overhaul services. Over 3,000,000 personnel and 3,000 platforms in over 100 countries benefit from MKU-supplied protection solutions and the company has operations in Brazil, Germany and the UAE in addition to India. Its commitment to quality and customer satisfaction creates a highly visible image of India’s ability to stand alongside the high-tech suppliers to the defence and homeland security communities.
Caption: AKSION brings enhanced situational awareness and combat effectiveness to the front line. Image courtesy MKU.
