L3Harris explores micro LED technology for BiNOD offering

A Binocular Night Observation Device (BiNOD) system developed by Elbit Systems of America. (Elbit Systems )

L3Harris has begun exploring potential micro-LED applications for its NOVA night-vision goggle, which is the company's offering on the US Army's Binocular Night Observation Device (BiNOD) competition, Janes has learned.

L3Harris is in the midst of preliminary talks with US-based micro-LED manufacturers, looking into how that technology could be folded into the NOVA platform, company officials said during a series of industry briefings on 13 May.

The officials declined to comment on which specific micro-LED manufacturers L3Harris is engaging with on NOVA but noted the company was casting a wide net for potential collaborators during multiple briefings held in Washington DC.

That said, US company Kopin, a developer of high-end micro-LED displays, was awarded a USD15.4 million deal by the US Army in September 2025 to develop a micro-LED colour display for the service's soldier-borne applications programme, under Army Contracting Command's Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) effort.

The company also reached a deal in October 2025 to develop a custom organic light-emitting diode (OLED)-based display for defence IT startup Rivet, as part of that company's effort to develop prototypes for the army's Soldier Borne Mission Command (SBMC) programme. SBMC is the follow-on to the ground service's now defunct Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) effort.

Officials from Kopin declined to comment on any preliminary discussions with L3Harris on micro-LED integration into the NOVA night vision device.

Army Contracting Command out of Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland issued a series of BiNOD development deals in late February, awarding prototype development awards to L3Harris, Elbit Systems of America (Elbit America) and Pennsylvania-based Photonis Defense.