FFG's Armoured Combat Support Vehicle Gains Mobile Drone Defense Role with Pulsed-Laser Hard-Kill Module.

FFG has given its Armoured Combat Support Vehicle a mobile drone-defense role by fitting it with a Pulsed-Laser Hard-Kill C-UAS Interceptor Module, unveiled at Eurosatory 2026 in Paris, turning a protected tracked support platform into a front-line shield against small aerial threats. The integration matters because maneuver forces increasingly need fast, reusable effectors to defeat FPV drones, loitering munitions, and reconnaissance UAVs without spending missiles or airburst rounds on every target.

The EshTech Drone Light module uses high-energy pulsed laser fire to physically damage drones at short range, with 360-degree coverage, rapid slewing, and claimed neutralization in one to two seconds. Mounted on the modular ACSV, it adds a lower-layer air-defense capability that can move with mechanized units and reflects the wider shift toward directed-energy systems for survivability, ammunition economy, and battlefield drone protection.

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FFG has unveiled a new Armoured Combat Support Vehicle configuration equipped with EshTech's Drone Light pulsed-laser hard-kill system, providing mobile frontline forces with a reusable directed-energy capability to defeat drones, loitering munitions, and other low-altitude aerial threats (Picture Source: Army Recognition Group)

At Eurosatory 2026 in Paris, FFG unveiled a new configuration of its Armoured Combat Support Vehicle fitted with a Pulsed-Laser Hard-Kill C-UAS Interceptor Module. Integrated with the Drone Light Counter-UAS module developed by EshTech, this version brings a directed-energy effector onto a protected tracked platform. The system reflects the growing need for mobile solutions able to counter FPV drones, loitering munitions, reconnaissance UAVs, and other small aerial threats operating close to maneuver forces.

The latest ACSV configuration moves FFG’s modular tracked platform into the fast-expanding field of mobile counter-drone warfare. No longer limited to support, logistics, engineering, recovery, radar, mortar, air-defense, or command missions, the vehicle can now operate as a mobile C-UAS node equipped with a high-energy pulsed laser hard-kill effector. The Drone Light Counter-UAS module has been integrated directly onto the ACSV carrier vehicle, giving the platform a new role in the lowest layer of air defense, where armed forces increasingly require reusable and fast-reacting effectors against small aerial targets.

The core of the module is a pulsed laser system designed to neutralize drones through physical material removal using high-intensity pulses. Unlike continuous-wave laser concepts that rely mainly on sustained heating, the Drone Light module is described as creating a drilling effect on the target. FFG’s technical data indicates that the system uses a high-energy pulsed laser operating at more than 5 Hz pulse repetition frequency, combined with a co-boresighted 300 mm optical and laser aperture. The module provides 360-degree azimuth coverage, a slew rate of 120 degrees per second, acceleration of 60 degrees per second squared, and an engagement coverage of up to 1 km. The stated neutralization time is around one to two seconds, with only milliseconds of active firing time.

This configuration gives the ACSV a tactical advantage in engagements where reaction time, precision, and repeated target handling are central. The Drone Light system is presented with a swarm-handling capacity of around 30 targets per minute and energy consumption of about 4 kW. Its unified optics and laser aperture support boresight consistency, while standard stabilization and high-slew kinematics are intended to help the module track and defeat small aerial threats. In practical terms, this gives maneuver units a potential hard-kill option against drones without using missiles or gun ammunition for every target. It could also help preserve missile interceptors and airburst rounds for faster, larger, or more resilient threats.

The ACSV platform provides the mobility, payload, and interfaces needed to make this type of counter-drone system relevant beyond fixed-site protection. The vehicle offers an 8-ton payload capacity and supports diesel fuel supply according to ISO 1179-1, hydraulic supply at 300 to 400 bar with a flow rate of 50 to 70 liters per minute, high electrical supply at 24V DC and 500A, and low electrical supply at 24V DC and 25A. Its data connections include four Type N MIL-DTL-83526 connections and a KPSE7E16-23S DZ interface, while battery options include an Auxiliary Power Booster and an Auxiliary Power Unit. The mechanical interface supports 10-foot and 6-foot containers, six ISO 1161 twistlocks, ten M16 connection points, cargo lashing points, and modular cargo panels.

The carrier vehicle is powered by an MTU 6V199 engine delivering 460 kW, coupled to a ZF LSG1100 transmission. Its mobility data includes a maximum speed of 68 km/h, a range of 600 km plus 12 hours of operation, a trench-crossing capability of 2.30 m, a fording ability of 1.20 m, a climbing ability of 1.00 m, a 60 percent slope capability, and a 30 percent side-slope capability. The vehicle measures 6.93 m in length, 2.99 m in width, and 3.05 m in height, with a gross weight of 28 tons and a curb weight of 18 tons. These characteristics allow the ACSV to accompany tracked and mechanized formations while carrying specialized mission equipment.

The broader ACSV family remains built around modularity. The module carrier can be configured for short-range air defense with multiple missile effectors, very-short-range air defense with an airburst cannon, antitank mine launcher missions, heavy turntable mortar support, recovery missions with a rotating recovery crane and dozer blade, medium-range multirole radar operations, cargo transport using a 10-foot ISO container, and logistics missions with a 6-foot ISO container and loading crane. Enclosed ACSV variants can also cover engineering roles with a pioneer team and dozer blade, command-and-control missions with 3-, 4-, or 6-person options plus crew, armoured personnel carrier roles with 8 dismounts plus crew, ambulance missions with treatment stretchers and multiple seating, medical evacuation with four stretchers, and drone mothership configurations. By adding a pulsed-laser Counter-UAS module, FFG expands this architecture into one of the fastest-growing areas of land warfare.

From a strategic perspective, the ACSV with Drone Light reflects the pressure placed on modern land forces by the mass use of drones in recent conflicts. FPV drones, commercial quadcopters, reconnaissance UAVs, and loitering munitions have created a cost-exchange challenge for armies that cannot rely on expensive missiles against every low-cost aerial threat. A mobile laser effector mounted on a protected tracked platform addresses part of this imbalance by offering a reusable hard-kill layer, provided that detection, tracking, identification, line of sight, and weather conditions support the engagement. The system should not be viewed as a stand-alone answer to the drone threat, but as part of a layered Counter-UAS architecture combining radar, electro-optical sensors, electronic warfare, airburst ammunition, missiles, command-and-control networks, and directed-energy systems.

The FFG ACSV fitted with the Drone Light Pulsed-Laser Hard-Kill C-UAS Interceptor Module marks a clear step toward mobile directed-energy protection for ground forces. Its value lies not only in the laser effector itself, but in the integration of that effector on a protected, modular, tracked platform able to move with combat and support units. As drones become a permanent threat across the battlefield, systems such as this show how future air defense is moving closer to the front line, with reusable effectors designed to reduce ammunition dependency and strengthen the protection of maneuver formations.

Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.