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EOS Secures South Korea Deal for 100kW High-Energy Laser Weapon to Reinforce Counter-Drone Defense.
Electro Optic Systems has announced a US$80 million conditional agreement with a South Korean customer for a 100kW-class high-energy laser weapon system. The deal could accelerate the operational fielding of counter-drone laser defenses in Northeast Asia through local production and technology transfer.
On 15 December 2025, Electro Optic Systems Holdings Limited (EOS) announced that it had signed a binding conditional agreement worth US$80 million (around A$120 million) with an undisclosed customer in the Republic of Korea for the manufacture and sale of a 100kW-class high-energy laser weapon system. The contract is structured not only around delivery of a single system, but also around the creation of a local industrial foothold through a joint venture and licensing of laser-weapon intellectual property for the Korean market, positioning the deal as a potential accelerator for operational deployment of high-energy counter-UAS capabilities in Northeast Asia.
Electro Optic Systems has signed a conditional US$80 million agreement with a South Korean customer to deliver a 100kW-class laser weapon, a move that could speed the fielding of operational counter-drone defenses through local production and technology transfer (Picture Source: EOS)
Under the agreement, the “Product” is defined as a 100kW High Energy Laser Weapon that EOS will manufacture at its new Laser Weapon Manufacturing Facility in Singapore. Once contractual conditions are met, the system is scheduled to be delivered to Korea at the end of 2027, followed by demonstrations on Korean territory. The contract value of US$80 million covers production and delivery of the system as well as arrangements linked to the future joint venture and IP licence. Conditions precedent include payment of an initial US$18 million deposit, the customer securing a Letter of Credit for the remaining contract value, and an inspection of the Singapore facility with a requirement that the customer be satisfied with its readiness. The customer expects these steps to be completed before 31 January 2026. The agreement also specifies milestone payments for the remaining sums and full refund rights for the customer if the product ultimately fails to meet performance obligations, introducing formal mechanisms for both schedule discipline and performance accountability.
In capability terms, the Korean system is not named in the ASX release, but EOS’s Apollo High Energy Laser Weapon provides a clear reference point for what a 100kW configuration is intended to deliver. The Apollo family is described as a scalable high-energy laser air-defence system, with power levels between 50 and 150kW and a design focus on destroying or disabling Group 1–3 unmanned aerial systems (UAS) while disrupting their sensors at longer ranges. The 100kW Apollo can quickly defeat small drones even when they employ countermeasures such as rapid manoeuvres, spinning, thermal isolation or reflective coatings. According to EOS, the system’s increased power and reduced dwell time between engagements enable it to disable more than 20 Group 1 UAS per minute at typical swarm-attack distances, with a hard-kill envelope from 50 metres to 3 kilometres and optical sensor denial out to 15 kilometres.
Apollo’s technical data further illustrates the engagement tempo and endurance that a 100kW-class system is designed to sustain. The laser module is specified with a 100% duty cycle subject to available electrical power, 200 stored engagements when operating from its internal “magazine”, and unlimited engagements when connected to external power. The engagement chain combines radar-based threat detection, passive infrared detection, day camera and thermal imager, with detection ranges above 12 km and identification ranges approaching 4–5 km depending on the sensor. Once cued, the system can slew 60 degrees in around 700 milliseconds, lock a target in approximately 600 milliseconds, and neutralise a Group 1 UAS in about 1.3 seconds at 50kW, with higher powers available to reduce dwell time further. These parameters highlight a concept of employment built around rapid, repeated engagements and the ability to manage large drone volumes without the magazine and reload constraints of kinetic effectors.
From an integration perspective, the Apollo laser weapon is packaged in a 20-foot ISO container for transportability and concealment, with options for mounting on an 8×8 vehicle chassis. EOS states that the system can be made operational in under two hours by trained crews and is already configured to interface with NATO air defence command-and-control systems and theatre-level integrated air and missile defence networks. While Korea is not a NATO member, the emphasis on standardised C2 interfaces suggests that the Korean configuration is likely to be designed for rapid insertion into existing air- and base-defence architectures, protecting fixed installations and deployed formations while reserving interceptors, guns and missiles for larger or more complex aerial threats.
Industrial and geopolitical aspects are central to the structure of the Korean contract. EOS will build the initial system in Singapore rather than Australia, reflecting a broader Indo-Pacific trend in which defence suppliers position forward production capacity and export-ready subsystems closer to their main regional markets. If the conditions are fulfilled and relevant regulatory approvals obtained, EOS is then obligated to grant a licence over its 100kW laser IP to a Korean joint venture that it will establish with the customer. The licence consideration is linked to creation of this joint venture and the achievement of demonstration performance milestones, tying local industrial participation directly to proven capability. For Korea, the model aligns with a familiar pattern in the region: starting with an imported system to meet immediate operational demands, while simultaneously creating pathways for domestic development, future production, and sovereign control over upgrades and support.
The contract also sits within a wider evolution of EOS’s business. The company describes itself as a global provider of counter-drone solutions, combining kinetic weapons, interceptors, rockets and high-energy lasers with associated sensors, algorithms and C2 systems. EOS states that its laser-weapon programme has undergone three years of field testing and numerous firing trials in close collaboration with customers, incorporating radar, threat-detection, target-acquisition and beam-locking subsystems into a deployable package. The Korean conditional contract is presented as EOS’s second export order for a 100kW-class laser defence system, following a first export to a Western European customer announced on 5 August 2025, indicating growing international uptake of its directed-energy portfolio.
The contract mechanics and the technical profile of EOS’s 100kW-class laser suggest a capability that is being treated less as a demonstrator and more as a programmatic element within layered air defence. If the conditions are satisfied and the Korean joint venture moves ahead, the deal would deliver a fielded system with a defined manufacturing base in Singapore, a multi-year roadmap for demonstrations and operational integration in Korea, and a framework for localising future production and support. In an environment where small UAS and low-cost aerial systems are transforming air- and base-defence requirements, the EOS–Korea arrangement underscores how high-energy lasers are beginning to transition from experimental assets to industrialised, exportable systems designed to tackle drone saturation and swarm tactics at scale.
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.