Exosens triples thermal camera production to meet military drone needs

Exosens, a Merignanc, France-based company specializing in detection, imaging, and amplification technologies, has announced plans to triple its production capacity for thermal cameras in 2026, in response to accelerating global demand for advanced imaging solutions supporting drone and counter-drone applications.

The company states that “rapid evolution of modern conflicts is reshaping defense priorities, accelerating the deployment of autonomous systems; drone and counter-drone systems have become a core pillar of modern warfare, driven by need for rapidly-deployable and cost-efficient defense capabilities at scale.”

Exosens’ compact, SWaP-optimized thermal cameras enable integration into drone payloads and counter-drone systems, supporting detection, identification, tracking and targeting of potential threats.

Jérôme Cerisier, CEO, commented, “The tripling of our thermal camera production capacity reflects the accelerating adoption of advanced imaging technologies across drone and counter-drone applications. Our customers increasingly require compact, cost-effective thermal imaging solutions that can be rapidly deployed into next-generation platforms.”

Cerisier added, “This expansion reinforces our ability to support accelerating customer demand with scalable industrial capabilities, while strengthening our position as a trusted, ITAR-free strategic partner for leading defense OEMs and autonomous systems developers. It also reflects our confidence in the long-term structural growth of the drone and counter-drone market.”

Exosens reports ‘strong performance’ in first half of 2026

The camera productivity increase announcement coincided with Exosens reporting “sustained revenue growth of +15.3% to €253.1 million in the first half (“H1”) of 2026. The latest report described “strong LFL (like-for-like) growth of +11.4%, driven by accelerating demand for advanced defense imaging and night vision solutions.”

Six-month highlights included:

• Amplification revenue up +11.6%, with strong LFL growth (+10.0%), supported by growing demand for high-performance image intensifier tubes in mission-critical night vision applications;
• Detection and imaging revenue up +24.3%, with accelerating LFL growth (+14.6%), which the company said “confirmed increasing adoption of Exosens’ advanced imaging technologies across defense and surveillance markets, particularly in drone and counter-drone applications”; and
• Significant improvement in profitability, with adjusted EBITDA of €83.6 million in H1 2026 (+18.3%), representing a “record margin” of 33.0% (+84Bps vs. H1 2025), driven by strong revenue growth.

Looking ahead, Exosens’ first half financial report stated that the company is “on track to deliver on our 2026 guidance: the firm is now expecting revenue and adjusted pre-tax earnings (EBITDA) to be towards the upper end of their respective ranges: revenue in the range of €520 million to €540 million; adjusted EBITDA in the range of €168 million to €178 million; and capital expenditure at around 9% of 2026 revenue (ex. capitalized R&D), driven by production capacity expansion in Europe and the United States.

Cerisier said of the results: “Our first-half performance reflects sustained commercial momentum, with over eleven percent like-for-like revenue growth and a record 33 percent adjusted pre-tax margin. In Amplification, demand for advanced night vision solutions remains strong, while our capacity expansion plan is progressing as expected. We also achieved a key milestone in our U.S. strategy with the award of the U.S. Army BiNOD contract.

“In Detection & Imaging, we continue to benefit from the growing adoption of our advanced imaging technologies across drone, counter-drone and long-range surveillance applications, contributing to 15 percent like-for-like growth in the first half. We are also scaling our imaging production capacity to support accelerating customer demand.”