Kopin has passed three development milestones in a US Army-backed program aimed at bringing brighter color MicroLED displays into future soldier-worn vision systems.
The Massachusetts-based company said its full-color MicroLED technology has exceeded 150,000 nits of brightness, surpassing a performance threshold set under the US government’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program.
Kopin is developing the technology for ground soldier vision applications, where compact displays could support digital overlays, situational awareness, and other information presented directly to troops in the field.
The company also reported progress integrating its MicroLED technology into optical systems intended for future soldier-worn applications. A third milestone involves installing new MicroLED bonding equipment at Kopin’s US headquarters.
Kopin expects to begin manufacturing products using the technology in mid-2027.
US Soldier Vision Technology
Kopin’s work comes as the US Army continues to reshape its approach to soldier-worn displays after years of development under the Integrated Visual Augmentation System program.
In September 2025, the service awarded Anduril a $159-million contract for Soldier Borne Mission Command (SBMC) prototyping, with the effort covering wearable systems intended to provide troops with battlefield information and improve command and control at the tactical edge.
SBMC grew out of the army’s earlier IVAS program, which sought to combine augmented reality, night vision, thermal sensing, navigation, and battlefield data in a single soldier-worn system.
Another major effort involves the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular (ENVG-B), fielded to improve low-light operations and provide capabilities including thermal imaging and wireless connectivity with weapon sights.
L3Harris and Elbit Systems of America have both received orders in 2026 for ENVG-B systems.
