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Kopin Secures Multiple Orders for Sentinel FPV™ Prototypes as Drone Dominance Program Accelerates
Kopin Secures Multiple Orders for Sentinel FPV™ Prototypes as Drone Dominance Program
About this update from Kopin Corporation
Kopin Corporation (NASDAQ: KOPN) a leading provider of application-specific optical systems and high-performance microdisplays for defense, training, enterprise, industrial, consumer and medical products, today announced it has received multiple new orders from customers evaluating Kopin’s 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 these 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 and reducing reliance on foreign-made FPV technologies. 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 as if they were on board.Kopin’s Sentinel FPV platform is being considered by multiple customers for its unique combination of dual situational awareness, extremely low weight, U.S.-based production, and defense-ready performance. Sentinel is engineered for high-clarity, low-latency first-person viewing while maintaining real-world situational awareness — a major difference from other FPV goggles designed for non-hostile environments. The dual situational awareness enables the drone pilot to maintain their view from the drone and see their proximal surroundings — a major advantage for both safety and mobility. 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 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.“We’re seeing tremendous momentum as multiple customers — including several competing in the Drone Dominance Program — turn to Kopin’s U.S.-made Sentinel FPV product for next-generation drone systems,” said Kopin CEO Michael Murray. “These 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,...