No One Kills Drones Like EOS, Dr. Schwer Says

Electro Optic Systems, an Australian maker of weapon stations and high energy lasers, claims a decisive edge in counter drone accuracy, and CEO Dr. Andreas Schwer explains to Defence Network why, what that lead costs, and how EOS plans to expand in Europe, especially Germany.

The company traces its precision back to work on the Strategic Defense Initiative in the 1980s, and today it sells everything from small remote weapon stations to large 100 kW and 150 kW laser systems, with offers that include local production and satellite engagement capabilities.

Why EOS says its accuracy is unmatched

EOS credits its accuracy to decades of work on precise tracking and beam control that began during the Star Wars era, when the company partnered with US programs to develop laser systems able to track objects in space.

That investment, Dr. Schwer says, left EOS with the ability to detect minute motion and stabilize beams under real world conditions, and the company still makes the core components in house instead of sourcing them from third parties.

EOS backs its claim with competitive results: it reports winning comparative shooting contests, including one in Israel restricted to local consortia where EOS and a partner outperformed established rivals and posted a kill rate twice that of the next best team, and it says it won the US Army live fire exercise in April, a performance that led to a contract to outfit US combat vehicles with an EOS R400 Slinger in a special semi autonomous configuration.

The practical upshot, according to Dr. Schwer, is roughly 30 percent better long range hit rates than competitors, a gap that grows where advanced beam control matters most.

Laser power, pricing and the Netherlands sale

EOS sells multiple families of weapon stations, from the small R150 to heavier systems such as the R800, which the company compares favorably to medium caliber turrets while claiming much lower weight and cost, making integration into smaller vehicles possible.

Beyond kinetic effectors, they highlights high energy lasers as a core capability, claiming to be the only company able to offer 100 kW exportable systems and to manufacture 150 kW class lasers locally for customers.

In August they became the first firm to sell a 100 kW laser to an export customer, the Dutch government, a sale reported at 71 million euros that included development, localization and integration costs.

He frames expected future pricing like this: in small runs a system might cost 45 to 50 million euros, in large series roughly 30 million euros, a figure he compares to the price of a main battle tank. Those numbers, he argues, will come down as production ramps and localization costs fall, and they make a case for widespread procurement to protect critical infrastructure.

Europe and space warfare ambitions

Europe is the next priority for EOS, according to Dr. Schwer, because the continent faces growing drone threats and, he says, has comparatively moderate competition in the high power laser space.

EOS contrasts its 100 kW to 150 kW offerings with competitors that are testing at lower outputs, citing a German 20 kW system and other projects in the UK and France that are smaller or years away from full scale deliveries.

That gap, he says, gives EOS a multi year lead that will let it deliver 150 kW class systems as early as 2027. EOS already works with Diehl in Germany, and it offered its R150 for a program to equip thousands of unarmored transport vehicles with remote weapon stations.

Beyond counter drone systems, EOS positions itself in the emerging market for space conflict capabilities, offering ground based options to blind or degrade satellite sensors and, at higher power levels, to disable satellites, a capability Dr. Schwer presents as relevant to national space security programs and to partnerships with European firms such as OHB.

DroneXL’s Take.

EOS sells a vision in which decades of niche engineering, kept in house and scaled up, translate into measurable battlefield advantage, and while the claims on kill rates and delivery schedules should be weighed against independent tests and procurement realities, the company’s strategy is clear: sell high energy lasers and compact weapon stations, localize manufacturing in customer states, and push into Europe where demand and budgets for counter drone and space resilience are growing.

For procurement officers and security planners, the sales pitch is compelling, because it pairs a technical pedigree with concrete offers and price points, but buyers should still demand transparent demonstrations, clear logistics for integration and sustainment, and independent assessments of performance before committing to large scale buys.

Photo credit: EOS Aus