San Diego – – September 18, 2026 -- Obsidian Sensors has secured a contract under the DUTCH project to deliver high-resolution thermal cameras at attritable price points for the Drone Dominance program, using a manufacturing process the company says will eventually cut costs by an order of magnitude versus incumbent suppliers.
Obsidian fabricates MEMS sensors on glass panels 20 times larger than standard silicon wafers
The company's proprietary Large Area MEMS Platform (LAMP) departs from the thermal imaging industry's traditional reliance on 8-inch silicon wafers. Instead, Obsidian builds its MEMS thermal sensor structures on large glass substrates inside a standard flat-panel display factory, borrowing the scale and cost structure of the display manufacturing sector rather than the semiconductor industry.
VGA-resolution cameras already ship at Drone Dominance cost targets
Obsidian is currently shipping VGA-resolution thermal cameras priced within the cost guidelines set by the Drone Dominance program. The company plans to launch an SVGA resolution tier by the end of this year, with an SXGA tier slated for 2027.
CEO says production strategy, not sensor performance, has held back cost reduction
John Hong, co-founder and CEO of Obsidian Sensors, said the thermal imaging industry improved performance and resolution over three decades but remained locked into a high-cost production model. He said Obsidian's manufacturing approach will make its technology an order of magnitude cheaper than incumbents at scale.
New San Diego packaging factory to support attritable-priced production
Tallis Chang, co-founder and COO, said the company's near-term execution on the DUTCH program and the ramp-up of a new packaging factory in San Diego will be foundational to establishing attritable-priced thermal imaging as an industry standard rather than a niche offering. Target applications include uncrewed aerial systems, loitering munitions and other attritable defense platforms.