Cameras operating in the LWIR spectral range provide details of the atmospheric absorption of heat and also do not require any external light source to form an image of a given object. LWIR is mostly suitable for thermography and passive vision enhancement applications because of its ability to give better vision through mist and smoke. The increasing use of cameras based on this wavelength in military, homeland security, aerospace & defense, industrial, and automotive applications is driving the growth of the IR imaging market to a considerable extent.

Applications in the surveillance sector, divided into the three sub-sectors of military surveillance, homeland security and industrial surveillance, accounted for the largest share of the infrared imaging market in 2015. The high demand for infrared imaging products, especially for military surveillance applications is one of the major factors driving the growth of the infrared imaging market for the surveillance applications. The features designed into infrared imaging cameras such as, wide field of vision, rapid processing, and the ability to identify the sources of movement in low-light conditions has led to increased use of theses cameras for the military.

As we might expect, the North American market held the largest market share in 2015, followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific. This is attributed to the continuous technological developments within the U.S., followed by Canada and Mexico. Asia-Pacific offers potential growth opportunities owing to the increasing adoption of infrared imaging products in various applications such as surveillance and consumer electronics that are also driving the infrared imaging market.

Major players in this market include Axis Communications AB (Sweden), Flir Systems, Inc. (U.S.), DRS Technologies, Inc. (U.S.), Fluke Corporation (U.S.), Opgal Optronics Industries Ltd. (Israel), Bosch Security Systems, Inc. (Germany), L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. (U.S.), Zhejiang Dali Technology Co., Ltd. (China), Sofradir Group (France), and General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc. (U.S.).