Exosens sales up as night-vision ramp accelerates

Exosens, the Paris-listed company that makes image intensifier tubes, thermal cameras, and a range of detection equipment, has posted sales revenues of €134 million for the third quarter of the year - up 24 per cent on the same period last year.

And while some of that increase has resulted from recent acquisitions, the vast majority is due to escalating demand for high-performance image intensifier tubes used in night-vision equipment, alongside imaging technologies for drone and counter-drone applications.

The firm says that tube production capacity is on track to increase by 40 per cent across Europe and the US by next year, with the first phase in Europe now implemented and production ramping up faster than expected.

Production capacity for thermal cameras is also set to triple this year, while that for cooled infrared cameras will double, to meet growing demand across drone and long-range surveillance applications.

Ramp ahead of plan

CEO Jérôme Cerisier commented: “Our nine-month performance demonstrates both strong commercial momentum and disciplined execution, with revenue growth reaching 18 per cent over the period and accelerating to 23.5 per cent in the third quarter.

“Our additional European capacity for image intensifier tubes is ramping up ahead of plan, enabling us to serve strong demand for night vision solutions sooner than anticipated, while our first BiNOD delivery order marks a key step in building our presence in the US market.”

“BiNOD” refers to the US Army’s Binocular Night Observation Device program, under which Exosens’ US subsidiary Photonics Defense is producing lightweight, mission-ready night vision systems.

The continued sales momentum means that Cerisier and his colleagues are confident of hitting their upgraded full-year sales target of between €558 million to €570 million - equivalent to a 20 per cent rise on the 2025 figure.

The firm notes that thanks to major night vision procurement programs across NATO, and for German and Belgian armed forces in particular, demand for its image intensifier tubes continues to exceed available production capacity.

That has driven sales for Exosens’ “amplification” business unit to €268 million in the first nine months of this year, representing almost 70 per cent of group sales.

“Detection and imaging” accounts for the remaining 30 per cent of sales, with the nine-monthly total of €120 million up 24 per cent on the same period last year. That increase is thanks in part to the contributions of recent acquisitions like Noxant, Phasics, and Emberion, but also includes sales of non-photonics products such as neutron and gamma-ray detectors.

Finland-based Emberion, which specializes in quantum-dot SWIR imagers, has now been rebranded as Exosens Imaging.