Defense: Inside the secret of infrared detectors made in Isère

In October 2025, Lynred’s production lines shifted to a completely new site in Veurey-Voroize, Isère. Eight thousand two hundred square meters of ultra-modern clean rooms were delivered in the first quarter of 2025 and fully operational six months later. The investment, 85 million euros financed by loans from CIC and Bpifrance, is the largest in the company’s history since its founding in 1986.

This project, named Campus, also allowed 20% of the remaining production capacities in Palaiseau, Essonne to be relocated to Isère, now consolidating all French lines at one site. The annual production of bolometric detectors now stands at 300,000 units, with a target of 700,000 by 2030. To achieve this, Lynred plans to hire 200 additional employees by that time.

Xavier Caillouet, CEO since late 2023, has sized Campus for 700,000 annual bolometers by 2030, more than double the current capacity, betting on markets, particularly automotive, where mass volumes have not yet been reached.

Lynred employs over 1,000 people, has delivered over two million detectors worldwide since its inception, and had a turnover of 200 million euros in 2024. It is the world’s second-largest company in its market and the first in Europe, yet remains unknown to the general public.

The company is a joint venture equally owned by Safran and Thales. The governance comprises Hervé Bouaziz, Polytechnician from the X88 intake, with experience from DGA and Safran, as president, and Xavier Caillouet, with thirty years at Thales, as CEO. The decrease in turnover observed between 2022 (229 million euros) and 2024 (200 million) is attributed by management to the absorption costs of the Campus project.

From short to far-infrared, detectors produced at Veurey-Voroize cover the entire electromagnetic spectrum through three technology families: HgCdTe (Mercury-Cadmium-Tellurium), InGaAs (Indium-Gallium-Arsenide), and IGN. These detectors are utilized in the Rafale, weather satellites, optronic balls of tactical drones, combat binoculars, and armored vehicle sights.

In the space market, no other European manufacturer produces high-quality infrared detectors: over fifty Lynred-developed models are currently in orbit or exploring the solar system.

(Short Context: Lynred, a prominent company in the infrared detectors industry, recently upgraded its production facilities in France and aims to increase its annual production significantly by 2030.)

(Short Fact Check: Lynred, a joint venture between Safran and Thales, saw a decrease in turnover from 229 million euros in 2022 to 200 million euros in 2024, attributed to absorption costs of a construction project.)