French night-vision specialist Exosens is shifting its U.S. base to Sturbridge and doubling down on the town with a second factory dedicated to image intensifier tubes, the tiny components that power night-vision goggles. The company already has a footprint in Sturbridge and employs about 75 people locally, and company leaders say the build-out is designed to keep pace with surging global and U.S. demand for high-performance night-vision systems.
The relocation and expansion were first detailed by the Boston Business Journal, which reported that Exosens plans to develop a defense campus in Central Massachusetts while adding manufacturing capacity in Sturbridge. According to the outlet, the company is constructing a second factory there to produce image intensifier tubes and currently has roughly 75 employees on site.
Exosens first flagged a major U.S. investment in night-vision production in March 2025, announcing it would put about 0 million into expanding capacity and establishing a “Made in America” production plant in Sturbridge, with manufacturing expected to begin in early 2027. As outlined by Exosens, the move is meant to shorten lead times and handle larger volume orders for both defense and commercial customers.
“This award highlights the strength of our U.S. industrial strategy and validates our March 2025 announced investment in our new production facility in Sturbridge,” Exosens CEO Je9rf4me Cerisier said in the company’s announcement of a U.S. Army BiNOD contract. The firm-fixed-price IDIQ has a maximum value of US$352.6 million through 2033, according to Exosens, which says its Sturbridge operations will support work on the program. Tasks and funding will be defined with each task order issued under the contract.
Orders Have Driven The Push
Behind the build-out is a wave of business for Exosens’ 5G image intensifier tubes, including sizable commercial and international orders that executives say justify a bigger U.S. footprint. As reported on Euronext, the company locked in a major contract in January for its latest tubes, a deal that underscores why a domestic facility is coming online.
Local Footprint And Timeline
Photonis Defense, now part of the Exosens group, lists its U.S. Sturbridge address as 660 Main St., a site with a long history in optical and detector work dating back through earlier Photonis and Galileo operations. For more on the facility’s legacy, see Photonis Defense. Exosens has said production in Sturbridge is expected to start in early 2027 and will prioritize U.S.-based orders and testing at the facility.
For Central Massachusetts the project marks a rare defense-focused manufacturing win, with the potential for additional hiring if future orders come through. Exosens and regional officials have not released a detailed hiring schedule yet, and the company has said it will update stakeholders as construction and ramp-up move forward.
