Air Force contracts for light technologies

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Feb. 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force announced it has contracted North Carolina-based Cyberlux Corp. for portable illumination systems.

Officials say the $3.3 million commitment is an effort to address the Air Force Mobility Command's tactical lighting requirements. Under the deal, Cyberlux will supply 80 of its BrightEye and 60 of it WatchDog visible and covert portable illumination systems. The contract also includes spare parts and maintenance supplies.

"Cyberlux is a leader in solid-state lighting innovation, and our Portable Illumination Systems are engineered to provide the U.S. Armed Services with next generation tactical lighting capability," Mark Schmidt, Cyberlux president and chief operating officer, said in a statement.

"The commitment from the U.S. Air Force will begin the deployment of new lighting technology within the most important Air Force commands, but this is just the start of a longer-term lighting technology transition from incandescent-based lighting to solid-state lighting."

Officials say the announced contract is part of the 2008 Department of Defense Appropriations legislation that allocated $8 million for the Cyberlux technologies. The BrightEye and WatchDog portable day and night-vision compatible illumination systems are designed for general mission tactical lighting and force protection among other tactical lighting requirements including emergency response situations.

"We've been pursuing this market for the last several years, and we are excited to be selected by the U.S. Air Force to lead this technology transition," Schmidt said. "We look forward to deploying visible and covert lighting solutions throughout the U.S. Armed Services, the National Guard and the Department of Homeland Security organizations."