Australia’s EOS on the Cusp of a 300 kW-Class Laser Weapon Contract: The Navy Is Now the Target

Australian defense firm Electro Optic Systems (EOS) has reached the final stage of a 300 kilowatt (kW)-class contract for the most powerful version of its Apollo high-energy laser weapon developed to date. The company says talks could close with a signature within the year, and it has also revealed that it is preparing to enter the naval market by taking its laser weapons to sea.

According to EOS Chief Executive Andreas Schwer, speaking to Aviation Week, negotiations for the 300 kW system are in their final phase and the contract could be signed this year. After signing, a roughly three-year development program is expected to begin, with the system itself ready before the end of the decade. The company did not disclose the buyer’s identity, hinting only that the customer is based in the Middle East.

What do directed energy and the kilowatt mean?

Directed energy weapons use a concentrated beam of energy rather than a projectile. In high-energy lasers, that beam is formed by focusing light energy on a single point of the target; if the beam dwells on the target long enough, it bores through metal, burns out electronics or ignites munitions. The system’s power is measured in kilowatts (kW): the higher the figure, the faster the beam inflicts damage and the harder the targets it can reach.

Most laser weapons fielded in recent years have been in the tens of kilowatts and were focused mainly on neutralizing small drones. That is why 300 kW is regarded as a significant threshold. According to EOS, the customer demanded this power class in order to fully counter not just drones but also rocket, artillery and missile threats (a counter-RAM capability).

What does 300 kW change?

At roughly three times the power of the systems EOS currently produces, the 300 kW version both reaches more distant targets and shortens the time spent per target. In laser weapons, the time the beam is held on the target is called the dwell time; as that shrinks, the system can engage more targets per minute. High power therefore increases not only range but also the kill rate per minute.

The company is currently building a 100 kW system for a Dutch customer. Delivery of that system was initially planned for 2028, but the company says production could be completed as early as mid-2027. According to its product page, the EOS Apollo family sits in a power band between 50 and 150 kW. The 300 kW version will therefore form the apex of that family.

Entering the naval market

EOS’s second move is at sea. The company is developing a 100 kW navalized (ship-adapted) laser for use aboard warships, and it says the system’s power can be scaled up to 200 kW. As navies increasingly face drone swarms and missile threats, interest in laser weapons is spreading to surface platforms.

The maritime environment brings problems not encountered in land systems. The container-based system has to be stabilized against the ship’s motion (so the beam stays fixed on the target despite the vessel’s rolling) and fitted with special coatings to withstand the corrosive effects of sea conditions. EOS says it is working on these elements in the navalized version.

The cost equation: A few cents per shot

The real appeal of laser weapons lies in the economics. Spending a missile worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to down a cheap drone worth a few hundred is an unsustainable equation, especially in swarm attacks. According to EOS’s official figures, Apollo’s cost per shot is on the scale of an electricity bill, staying below 10 cents; with an external power and cooling connection, the system can fire continuously.

According to the performance data the company has shared, Apollo can neutralize more than 20 drones per minute at typical ranges in swarm attacks; its hard-kill range reaches 3 kilometers and its range for disrupting drone sensors reaches 15 kilometers. These figures are manufacturer claims, and independent field verification is not yet publicly available.

The global laser race and Türkiye

EOS’s steps show that the global race toward directed energy in counter-drone defense is accelerating. As the United States, the United Kingdom and various NATO members have fielded laser systems in the tens of kilowatts in recent years, the push to move the power class above one hundred kilowatts has now settled at the center of the industry’s focus.

Türkiye is developing its own solutions in this field as well. Roketsan’s directed energy systems, such as ALKA and the newer-generation GÖKBERK, target laser defense capability against mini and micro UAV threats. Because these systems are positioned in different power and mission profiles, drawing a direct comparison with EOS’s 300 kW class would be misleading; yet both developments point to the same underlying logic, namely the search for a cheap and inexhaustible source of fire in the age of the drone.

Open-source verification notes

• The 300 kW power class, the contract being in its final stage and the roughly three-year development period are based on Aviation Week’s reporting attributed to EOS Chief Executive Andreas Schwer.
• The buyer’s identity has not been disclosed; it was stated only to be “Middle East-based”. The country and customer could not be independently verified.
• The current 100 kW system is for a Dutch customer; the Apollo family’s power band (50-150 kW), range and cost-per-shot (under 10 cents) data are drawn from the official EOS product page and are manufacturer claims.
• The navalized version’s 100 kW (scalable to 200 kW) power and development status rest on the Aviation Week source.
• The ALKA/GÖKBERK comparison regarding Türkiye is contextual and makes no claim of direct technical equivalence.

Sources

• Aviation Week — “Electro Optic Systems Nears 300-kW Laser Contract, Eyes Navy Business”
• Electro Optic Systems (EOS) official site — Apollo High Energy Laser Weapon product page
• Electro Optic Systems (EOS) official site — High Energy Laser Weapon page