| Founded: | 1984 |
| Fate: | Merged into Research and Development Establishment (RDE) |
| Successor: | Research and Development Establishment (RDE) |
| Hq Location City: | Rawalpindi, Punjab |
| Hq Location Country: | Pakistan |
| Area Served: | Worldwide |
| Key People: | Akram S. Hussain Abidi |
The Institute of Optronics (shortened as IOP) was a military funded research and development institute located in Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan.[1]
Established in 1984 by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Institute of Optronics (IOP) conducted research on military lasers, optoelectronics and photonics to support the capabilities of the Pakistan Armed Forces.[2]
After a reorganization within the MoDP in 2020 it has been merged into the newly formed Research and Development Establishment.[3] [4]
In 1984, the Ministry of Defence established the Institute of Optronics (IOP) as a research and development (R&D) institute focused on military applications of lasers, optoelectronics, photonics and optronics.[5] Set up under military control, the institute's first director was Lieutenant-General Talat Masood from DESTO, located in Rawalpindi Cantonment.[6] The scientific investigations on photonics was led by its principal investigator, Akram S. Hussain Abidi, a physicist with optics specialization who once worked for the NASA at their Goddard Space Flight Center.[7] [8]
Under Abidi's leadership, the institute acquired expertise in night vision technology through reverse engineering of American models. During the period 1985–1989, the IOP successfully developed and manufactured its first night vision devices (NVDs) based on the AN/PVS-4, AN/PVS-5 and AN/PVS-7 models.[9]