Exosens to triple thermal-camera output as drone demand drives outlook higher

By Zakarya Meliani and Ronan Corcoran

July 28 (Reuters) - French defence company Exosens said on Tuesday it would triple thermal-camera production capacity in 2026 to meet growing demand from drone and counter-drone systems, as the night-vision equipment maker lifted expectations for results towards the upper end of its full-year guidance.

The company now expects revenue and adjusted EBITDA to come in towards the upper end of its guidance ranges of €520 million to €540 million and €168 million to €178 million. It also expects capital expenditure of around 9% of 2026 revenue, driven by production-capacity expansion in Europe and the U.S.

First-half earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 18.3% to €83.6 million.

Exosens said demand for its night-vision systems continued to benefit from higher defence spending and military modernisation programmes, while demand for advanced imaging systems for autonomous defence platforms accelerated, reinforcing its position in a fast-growing defence market. 

"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," CEO Jerome Cerisier said in a press release.

The company last month announced a deal with Brolis to supply 17,000 image intensifier tubes for the Czech army through 2032.

Shares in Exosens were down 6.6% at 0855 GMT.

A Bernstein analyst said Exosens' share price decline appeared to be driven by a broader sector sell-off rather than weakness in the results. "I don't actually see anything in this print that would justify a sell-off. It's just rotation," the analyst told Reuters.

(Reporting by Zakarya Meliani and Ronan Corcoran; additional reporting by Hugo Lhomedet and Jakob Van Calster; Editing by Matt Scuffham)