Optics and imaging systems provider LightPath Technologies has secured a follow-on order and letter of intent from a European defense customer seeking infrared lens assemblies for first-person-view drone applications.
President and CEO Sam Rubin emphasized the significance of the deal, saying it validates the company’s efforts to obtain a European Defense license and expand its Latvia facility. “Our European Defense license provides us with the ability to supply products to the European Defense industry, one of the largest defense markets in the world,” the chief executive said in a statement.
The customer’s non-binding LOI outlines plans for collaborating on custom lens assemblies using LightPath’s proprietary BlackDiamond technology and localizing manufacturing at the company’s Latvia facility. LightPath said the customer also seeks to establish future volume commitments.
Demand for UAVs
According to Ruben, the order highlights the growing demand for unmanned aerial vehicles in various defense applications. He believes LightPath’s chalcogenide-based glass materials, designed to operate in a wide range of temperatures, will play a crucial role in thermal cameras for drones and applications such as gas sensing and early fire detection.
The Florida-based manufacturer launched a new optical gas imaging camera at the CH4 Connections Conference in Colorado. The camera, which uses infrared technology to detect invisible gases such as methane and other harmful chemicals, is ideal for applications in the oil and gas industry.
LightPath also recently secured Phase 2 funding from the Defense Logistics Agency worth $500,000 to help prove that its BlackDiamond materials can be used as substitutes for germanium, a substance primarily used in defense technology. Six of LightPath’s materials are being tested, with BD6 already approved and used in several systems.