In a significant stride toward advancing global defence capabilities, MKU has unveiled the Netro AKSION Thermal Core at Milipol Paris 2025. The launch reinforces MKU’s commitment to becoming a trusted, technology-driven partner for electro-optics manufacturers across Europe.
Welcoming distinguished guests, partners, defence delegations, and industry representatives, MKU opened the event with a clear message: this launch is more than a product introduction, it’s an evolution in capability.
“We design not for laboratories, but for the battlefield, for the heroes who depend on absolute reliability,” Ms Prachi Gupta, CEO-Netro Optronics Division, emphasised. “At Netro, our mission is to deliver clarity, awareness, survivability, and decision advantage to those who defend.”
In today’s increasingly complex, low-visibility, and urban battlefields, thermal imaging has become central to target acquisition, reconnaissance, and survivability. The Netro AKSION Thermal Core addresses this need head-on, combining a compact form, advanced imaging intelligence, and multi-platform adaptability to deliver a decisive operational edge.
Introducing the Netro AKSION Thermal Core
At the heart of AKSION lies a 12 µm pixel pitch uncooled microbolometer sensor, delivering higher pixel density, sharper thermal imagery, and extended detection range. The core integrates an Advanced Image Processing Suite with features such as contrast and brightness optimisation, denoising, CLAHE, white balancing, edge enhancement, and bad pixel correction, ensuring precision imaging across diverse operational scenarios.
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.
“In India, ‘Aks’ means reflection or image, and ‘Ion’ symbolises energy, motion, and transformation,” Ms Prachi Gupta explained. “Together, AKSION represents how we channel innovation into confidence, giving the soldier what matters most: certainty in what they see.”
Multi-Platform Capability for Global Integration
The AKSION Thermal Core is designed for multi-platform deployment, offering seamless adaptability across target acquisition systems, situational awareness devices, unmanned aerial and ground systems, and platform-mounted surveillance solutions.
This flexibility opens new avenues for collaboration with European OEMs and system integrators, enabling them to integrate AKSION into diverse mission architectures. “AKSION opens new markets, new partnerships, and new possibilities. We look forward to working closely with manufacturers and integrators to co-create next-generation capabilities”, said Ms Prachi Gupta.
Beyond Products, Building Global Partnerships in Electro-Optics
Netro AKSION symbolises the technological maturity and ecosystem strength that Netro Optronics has built over the past decade.
Netro has successfully industrialised over 30 electro-optics solutions for both soldier and platform applications, many of which are now operational with armed forces worldwide. Recently, the division secured a contract for 29,000+ image-intensified weapon sights from the Indian Armed Forces, a testament to its credibility and proven delivery capabilities.
With in-house optical and mechanical design, environmental and photometry testing labs conforming to MIL standards, and prototype-to-qualification frameworks, MKU ensures that every product is battle-tested, field-ready, and industrially scalable.
Partnering for the Future of Electro-Optics
Through Build-to-Spec and Build-to-Print engagement models, MKU collaborates with OEMs and integrators on:
- Solution design and architecture
- Sensor, optics, and electronics integration
- Real-time image processing firmware
- Manufacturing and environmental qualification
- Full industrialisation and lifecycle support
Additionally, MKU extends execution and production support to global developers through:
- Custom lens assemblies and sub-systems
- Ruggedised enclosures and kits (with or without sensors)
- Platform and weapon integration solutions
Their focus remains on co-engineering, shared IP development, and scaling production to meet evolving defence requirements.
“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,” Ms Prachi Gupta affirmed. “We are open to deep technology collaboration and ready to deliver the benefits of Indian engineering, grounded in manufacturing maturity, to deliver confidence globally.”
ABOUT MKU
MKU Limited is a global defence and homeland security company on a mission to empower heroes. With operations in India, Germany, Brazil and the UAE, MKU is a leading provider of advanced optronics and ballistic protection solutions for soldiers and platforms across the military, paramilitary, homeland security, law enforcement, and special forces.
Over the years, MKU has delivered protection to over 3 million soldiers and 3,000+ platforms across 230 forces in more than 100 countries. Their solutions are designed to instil confidence in those who stand in the line of duty.
MKU’s Netro range of smart optronics devices provides unmatched aiming, airborne, surveillance, and situational awareness capabilities. These devices are designed for handheld, weapon-mounted, or head-mounted applications, enabling superior performance in the most demanding environments.
Their Kavro range of protection solutions offers enhanced ballistic safety, modularity, and mission compatibility through smart technologies, ergonomic design, and advanced functionality. This includes ballistic helmets, body armour, ballistic shields, and armour solutions for naval, air, and land platforms and vehicles.
Through Navro Platform Maintenance, MKU offers maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services that enhance night enablement and upgrade situational awareness, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities of key assets such as aircraft, helicopters, naval vessels, Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs), Infantry Combat Vehicles (ICVs), and Air Defence Systems.
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