Redazione RHC : 10 August 2025 13:41
Australian company Electro Optic Systems Holdings Limited (EOS)has signed the world’s first export contract for a 100-kilowatt laser air defense system capable of destroying swarms of drones. The deal is valued at €71.4 million (approximately A$125 million), and the customer is a NATO member state in Europe. Deliveries will be made between 2025 and 2028, while production assembly will take place at EOS’s facility in Singapore.
The company has long been known for its kinetic-based counter-drone solutions, but the new system represents a huge leap forward. The truck-mounted laser system can destroy up to 20 targets per minute, striking at the speed of light. It integrates into multilayered air defense systems, and its architecture combines threat recognition algorithms, radar, tracking systems, precision guidance, and beam-jamming technologies to consistently engage moving targets.
Each shot costs less than a cent, making the system extremely cost-effective compared to missile-based interceptors, especially in the face of massive attacks. In modern conflicts, where drones can attack from multiple directions simultaneously, such a system ensures immediate response and high firepower without excessive costs.
Development took more than three years and included a series of field tests, including live firing. During the trials, engineers tested the system in various weather and tactical scenarios, achieving stable long-range accuracy. To achieve this, EOS improved the beam control system, adding advanced mechanisms for stabilization and target retention, even during high-speed movement. The contract was the result of a large-scale marketing campaign, demonstrations, and negotiations with potential customers. Demonstration exercises convinced the customer that the new system could effectively and cost-effectively repel attacks from swarms of unmanned aircraft.
The laser system will be premiered at the DSEI 2025 defense trade fair in London, where visitors will be able to see the technology and discuss a multi-layered defense strategy against drones with EOS experts.
The agreement is of strategic importance in the context of the growing threat posed by drones, which are increasingly being used in military conflicts to breach traditional air defense systems. EOS expects the contract to not only strengthen the company’s position on the global market but also boost the further development of laser systems for combating airborne targets.
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