Kopin secures ‘multiple orders’ for Sentinel FPV™ drone prototypes…

Kopin Corp., a provider of optical systems and microdisplays for defense applications, has been granted “multiple new orders” from customers evaluating its Sentinel First Person Viewer (FPV) product as a core part of their offering to meet the needs of the US Government’s one way attack (OWA) drone initiative.

Many of the customers are active contenders in the U.S. Government’s Drone Dominance Program (DDP) — a major initiative aimed at strengthening domestic leadership in small-drone and FPV capabilities. First Person Viewers are headsets that visually put the drone pilot “in the cockpit” of the drone, enabling them full real-time control of the drone.

Kopin says the Sentinel FPV platform “is being considered by multiple customers for its combination of dual situational awareness, low weight, U.S.-based production, and defense-ready performance. Its dual situational awareness enables a drone pilot to maintain their view from the drone and see their proximal surroundings. As a result, Kopin now has several prototype orders in hand, with each customer representing the potential for significant volume production.

DDP winners have the potential to require tens of thousands of FPV goggles, creating a major opportunity for domestic [U.S.] suppliers. Volume orders are expected to begin in late August immediately following the DDP Phase 2 evaluations and awards, with requirements for immediate delivery as awards are issued, the company added.

CEO Michael Murray said, “The new prototype orders validate the strength of our dual-situational-awareness design and our commitment to building trusted, defense-ready solutions here in the United States. Each engagement has the potential to scale into significant volume, and we are positioning Kopin to meet that demand with speed and precision. We’re proud to support the domestic FPV ecosystem and continue expanding strategic partnerships with companies shaping the future of unmanned operations.”

The company continues to pursue additional strategic partnerships with drone manufacturers and system integrators seeking high-performance, U.S.-built FPV solutions. As the demand for domestically produced, defense-ready technologies accelerates, the company remains focused on expanding its role within the emerging FPV ecosystem and supporting programs that will define the next generation of unmanned capabilities.

…firm also expands U.S. operations with new design center in Texas

Kopin has also announced plans to open a new Optics and Photonics Design Center in Dallas, Texas, expanding the company’s U.S.-based engineering footprint and accelerating development of its Neural I/o™ technology for the rapidly-growing AI infrastructure market.

Scheduled to open before the end of 2026, the Dallas facility will serve as a hub for advanced research, design engineering, and small‑scale manufacturing. The center will include: new optics and photonics lab space; dedicated design and engineering center; advanced R&D capabilities focused on Neural I/o™; manufacturing capacity for Neural I/o™ and ASOS systems; and expertise across optomechanical, hardware, and software deployment disciplines.

CEO Murray commented: “This new facility enhances our capacity, deepens our expertise, and positions us to rapidly support customer programs across the AI infrastructure landscape. The Dallas center will allow us to rapidly deploy Neural I/o™ and ASOS systems while scaling the design resources needed to meet accelerating demand.”

Josh Silverman, CEO of Fabric.AI, added, “Kopin’s investment in a dedicated Dallas design center is exactly the kind of commitment that turns a breakthrough interconnect into a deployable product. The work we are doing together on Neural I/o™ is aimed  at the bandwidth and power bottlenecks that define the AI infrastructure buildout, and having advanced optics R&D and manufacturing under one U.S.-based roof lets us move from design to customer deployment far faster.”