Gooch & Housego acquires infrared lens manufacturer StingRay Optics

Gooch & Housego (G&H; Ilminster, England), a manufacturer of optical components and systems, has acquired StingRay Optics (Keene, NH), which produces high performance infrared optical and opto-mechanical sub-systems for defense and commercial applications. The acquisition is aligned with G&H’s strategic objectives of moving up the value chain and further persification into the aerospace and defense sectors.

StingRay, founded in 2004, designs, manufactures, and supplies lenses across multiple wavelengths, including short-wave, mid-wave, and long-wave IR. The business provides system level optical products for use in harsh environments, with products ranging from laboratory, ground-based, airborne, unmanned aerial vehicle systems, and space applications markets.

Mark Webster, CEO of Gooch & Housego, said, “The acquisition of StingRay meets our strategic aims of moving up the value chain and persifying the business. It is a profitable and growing business in its own right, which has established an excellent reputation in the U.S. defense industry. As part of the bigger G&H family we believe it will be able to fulfil its true potential by leveraging our greater reach and complementary manufacturing and technical capabilities.”

By Laser Focus World Editors