Australia-based defence firm EOS has exported its 100 kW laser weapon to an unnamed European country within the scope of a contract worth €71.4 million.
The customer for EOS’ 100 kW laser weapon intended for use against UAVs is unknown, as well as how many units were ordered. However, it is known that the laser weapon will be introduced to a layered air defence structure.
100 kW is among the highest power settings for today’s standards, with most of the tactical laser weapons being smaller and ranging between 20 kW to 50 kW in power. It is expected that laser weapons will be capable of operating at higher power settings to eventually be utilised against missiles in addition to the more fragile and slower UAVs.
Considering the contract value of €71.4 million and use in a layered air defence structure, the weapon might be set to become a part of the European Sky Shield initiative, which aims to bolster the EU’s air defence capabilities with a layered package of air defence systems. If true, this would mark another non-European system like the Arrow 2 anti-ballistic missile of Israel and the MIM-104 Patriot of the U.S. (Despite France’s protests).
It is known that German Rheinmetall and MBDA are cooperating on a containerised laser weapon for flexibility in mounting.
In early 2024, EOS made its entry into the European market with its Slinger C-UAS system using an M230LF chain gun with proximity fuse ammunition and EchoGuard UAV detection radar. All components are onboard a remote-controlled system which can be mounted on pickups.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor:Özgür Ekşi
