Netherlands and Australia's EOS deepen cooperation on Apollo counter-drone laser

TLDR

• The Dutch Ministry of Defence and Australia's Electro Optic Systems (EOS) signed a letter of intent on 25 September 2026 to push EOS's Apollo high-energy laser toward full operational deployment for Dutch forces.
• This extends an existing programme rather than starting a new one: EOS was previously contracted for a €71.4 million, 100 kW Apollo prototype for the Netherlands in 2025.
• The LOI also opens talks on building an Apollo production facility in the Netherlands backed by a Dutch-led European supply chain.
• Apollo is a scalable 50 to 150 kW-class laser designed to hard-kill drones out to 3 km and blind sensors out to 15 km, disabling more than 20 Group 1 drones per minute at 100 kW.
• No quantity, contract value, or delivery schedule has been disclosed for this new phase; the performance figures cited are EOS's own, not independently verified by Dutch forces.

The Netherlands Ministry of Defence and Australian directed-energy firm Electro Optic Systems (EOS) signed a letter of intent on 25 September 2026 to advance EOS's Apollo high-energy laser weapon toward full operational deployment with Dutch forces, Army Recognition reported.¹

The agreement builds on an existing relationship: EOS was previously commissioned to build a 100 kW Apollo prototype for the Netherlands, a contract EOS disclosed to the Australian Securities Exchange as worth €71.4 million and originally slated for delivery between 2025 and 2028 through EOS's Singapore operations.¹ The new LOI does not confirm whether that Singapore-based delivery plan is being replaced; it also opens discussion of establishing an Apollo production facility in the Netherlands, supported by a Dutch-led European supply chain.¹ Dutch Defence says it intends to eventually acquire multiple laser systems, though no quantity, contract value, or delivery timeline has been disclosed for this phase.¹

Apollo is a scalable 50 to 150 kW-class laser built to defeat Group 1 to 3 unmanned aircraft and disrupt their electro-optical sensors. EOS states it can hard-kill targets at ranges of roughly 50 metres to 3 kilometres and disable sensors up to 15 kilometres away, and that at 100 kW it can disable more than 20 Group 1 drones per minute against swarms.¹ The system draws on self-contained power for more than 200 engagements, or can fire continuously with external power and cooling, and ships in a 20-foot ISO container that an experienced crew can set up in under two hours, according to EOS.¹

Why it matters: these are manufacturer-stated figures, not independently verified Dutch operational results, and the Congressional Research Service has noted that rain, fog and other obscurants can degrade directed-energy weapons. Apollo is positioned as a complementary layer to existing missile and gun-based counter-drone defences, not a replacement for them.¹