A 3.8-m infrared telescope opened in 1979 at an altitude of 4194 m at the Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawaii. Originally owned by the UK, it was transferred to University of Hawaii in 2014 and is now operated jointly by the University of Arizona and Lockheed Martin Space Systems. It observes in the 1–30 μ‎m near-infrared band. UKIRT was the first large instrument to use a thin mirror to achieve a lightweight and compact design.

http://www.ukirt.hawaii.edu Official telescope website.