by Caryn Berardi
In 1992, Dr. Joseph Estrera graduated from UT Dallas with his master’s and PhD in physics. In 2023, he is in the process of sending more than one thousand of his company’s image intensifier night vision products overseas to aid the Ukraine war effort.
Estrera is president of Aviation Specialties Unlimited, a driving force in the night vision technology industry since the ‘90s. Before he started with the Boise, Idaho-based company in 2013, Estrera developed groundbreaking photomultiplier, image intensifier and infrared technologies. He holds multiple patents and was principal and system architect for several projects for the U.S. military.
Aviation Specialties Unlimited designs and manufactures military-grade night vision goggles, lighting and goggle helmet mounts. It provides gear to pilots in helicopter emergency medical services in addition to other mission-critical flights including search and rescue, law enforcement and aerial firefighting.
Increasing safety for nighttime flight operations is the crux of Estrera’s mission. Before 1999, night vision goggles were not authorized for U.S. civil helicopter or commercial operations. Currently, Estrera estimates 4.2 million flights have been aided with night vision technology since 2000 after its regulatory allowance by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“Everything is about saving lives,” Estrera said. “Our goal is to do everything in our power to provide equipment and services, working closely with our customers to help them integrate night vision goggles into their flight operations safely.”
Estrera and his team recently expanded their products and services to serve international markets including Europe, Asia and South America. Estrera is hoping to further fulfill his mission by sending night vision equipment into the battlefield in Ukraine. However, it isn’t that easy.
In March 2022, a few weeks after Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Estrera and the U.S. Department of State set up a plan to deliver his products to Ukrainian pilots. But night vision technology is highly controlled by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and several licensing rules and processes mean Aviation Specialties Unlimited’s equipment would likely not show up in Ukraine until the end of 2023.
“Selling night vision devices is not like ordering a product off Amazon. It gets scrutinized and regulated, and we must follow the rules for selling it, even with the U.S. military,” Estrera said.
For Estrera, now a veteran in the industry, this wait is an important part of the vetting process, even though his products undergo rigorous FAA certification. He and his team fly hundreds of hours with pilots to evaluate and test their products in the field.
“It is all about testing and iterating on a product and making sure it’s right,” he said. “It’s not our mission to produce products the fastest, it’s to launch products that will save lives.”
Estrera was assistant adjunct professor at UT Dallas from 1996 to 2020. He is currently a member of the Department of Physics’ External Advisory Council.
Reminiscing on his experience as a grad student, Estrera said he would not be in his position without the unique research opportunities at UTD.
“I was in the basement of this giant building, and I was doing real science for the first time,” he said. “I enjoyed sitting in the darkness with the green laser turned on, doing my experiments.”
“Now I’m harnessing what I learned in the dark to protect lives and provide a bright future for aviation safety.”
Help us leave the planet a better place for future generations. Your support for the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics funds scientific discoveries with real-world applications, student and faculty recruitment, and academic scholarships.