For years, high-power laser technologies have been in the experimental phase; however, in 2025 have been established as practical and scalable tools to neutralize aerial threats emerging such as drone swarms.
This news is especially important to professionals in Spain and the rest of Europe who work with drones and C-UAS systems, exemplifies how countermeasures They adjust to the new war challenges.
The system in question has been named «Apollo» and developed by Electro Optic Systems, an Australian manufacturer that has reached a milestone with this 100 kilowatt laser. According to the company, Apollo can shoot down up to 20 drones per minute with an operational cost surprisingly low, less than 10 cents per shot.
By comparison, its traditional missile-based competitors cost millions per unit, limiting their use against swarms of cheap, high-volume drones.
The latest attacks demand a strong response from Europe
The recent conflicts in Eastern Europe have made evident the urgency of more economical defense solutions to counter massive drone attacks in Ukraine. In recent events in 2024, Russia launched more than 800 drones and decoys during coordinated attacks in Ukraine.
Even more disturbing, low-cost drones built from simple materials like Styrofoam and plywood have managed to penetrate the airspace of NATO countriesincluding Poland, revealing critical vulnerabilities in conventional defenses.
This scenario has prompted governments and private companies to accelerate the development and deployment of directed energy weapons, including laser systems that provide key advantages such as low cost operational, high response speed and ability to neutralize multiple targets.
A laser capable of shooting down 20 drones a minute «almost for free»
Apollo is not only a powerful laser but also a comprehensive package including training, maintenance and associated components, the entire package of which is around $83 million. Its acquisition and first delivery are scheduled for 2028, indicating that This type of system has already gone from prototype to component. standard in modern arsenals.
Electro Optic Systems has indicated that the wars in Ukraine and Gaza have been a determining factor for accelerate your commercialization, offering field-ready solutions of battle. According to Andreas Schwer, CEO of the company, these disputes have driven the perception that «you can no longer continue investing years in tests and demonstrations»; The industry must offer battlefield-ready solutions.
Defense of drones by laser, a system that still has many limitations
Despite clear progress, not everything is perfect. The effectiveness of laser systems is still conditioned by adverse meteorological factors and have a limited scope -between 1.6 to 4.8 kilometers- which makes them less effective against larger threats, such as ballistic missiles or conventional aircraft.
These technical factors force laser systems to be complemented with other air defense strategies, not completely replacing them, but providing an efficient and sustainable response against swarms of low-cost drones that saturate classic defenses.
The global interest in this technology is evident. The Pentagon, for example, spends approximately $1 billion annually on directed energy research and development. For its part, Israel continues with the deployment of its own laser system, the Iron Beam, expected to enter service during this 2025.
Yuval Steinitz, president of the Israeli manufacturer Rafael, estimates that this is only the beginning of a radical change: «This technological revolution will transform the way war is fought in the coming decades,» he said. Spain and other NATO countries are closely observing this evolution to adapt their defense strategies.