The investment is expected to create up to 150 jobs over three years. These will include high value-added engineering and software development roles.
EOS said the hub will strengthen France’s defence industrial ecosystem through sovereign technologies. The company said it will also build on its existing cooperation with KNDS.
EOS will also explore the production of high-energy laser systems in France. It will also examine the development of space domain capabilities for France and the wider European market.
“France is making a decisive commitment to its defence sovereignty, and EOS is proud to support that ambition,” said Dr. Andreas Schwer, Chief Executive Officer of EOS. “Establishing our European hub in France allows us to deliver counter-drone and command-and-control capability that partner nations own, produce, and sustain on their own terms.”
“This is what genuine industrial sovereignty looks like,” Schwer said. The announcement comes as European governments increase investment in air defence in response to the rapid spread of low-cost drones.
EOS said it is one of a small number of specialised companies outside the United States able to offer high-energy laser weapons. The company said its model is based on full technology transfer and local production, allowing partner nations to manufacture and maintain capability without dependence on foreign export controls.
The France hub reinforces EOS’s growing European presence. The company has secured the first export order for a 100 kW-class laser weapon system from the Netherlands.
EOS has also held advanced discussions with Germany. Those discussions followed a visit by the German Federal Minister of Defence to EOS facilities.
EOS operates through Defence Systems and Space Systems divisions. EOS Defence Systems specialises in technology for weapon system optimisation and integration, as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, C4 systems for land warfare, remote weapon systems, vehicle turrets, high-energy laser weapons, counter-UAS systems and command-and-control systems.
Its command-and-control systems include MARSS software-led counter-drone and critical infrastructure protection capabilities centred on the NiDAR platform. EOS Space Systems applies optical sensors and effectors developed by EOS to detect, track and characterise objects in space, including capabilities in the space control domain.
