EOS acquires interceptor drone business from MARSS

Canberra-based Electro Optic Systems Holdings Limited (EOS) will acquire the UK-based Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) interceptor business from London-based MARSS Group for €5.5 million ($10 million).

The Counter UAS interceptor is expected to take 12-24 months of further development at a cost of around $10 million before it is launched commercially; there is also potential for customer development funding. However, this is seen as faster and of lower risk than designing an interceptor in-house and the company considers it highly promising in the future C-UAS product mix.

Following launch, the interceptor pursues the target with onboard imaging, an infrared seeker and market-leading AI-based guidance, says EOS. It can be operated fully autonomously if required. The interceptor is controlled by MARSS’s NiDAR AI-enabled software system. This is suited to both fixed sites and vehicle deployment and is designed to integrate with common sensors and command and control systems as part of a layered counter drone solution. A version of the system can be side-loaded to EOS’ RWS.

“We see the Interceptor product as a perfect complement to our existing product suite,” said Dr Andreas Schwer, CEO of EOS. “This acquisition gives us a low collateral, cost-effective effector that we can integrate quickly. We see the Interceptor as accretive to our portfolio, supplementing our existing capabilities and, in particular, civil- and homeland security markets.”

Interceptor drones are being developed and used in Ukraine and other conflicts, the company says. This emerging technology is seen as a critical future counter-drone tool offering several key benefits:

• Agility – capable of moving very fast to defeat equally fast moving and agile threats
• Range – able to operate at distances up to 5km – beyond the current EOS’ Remote Weapon System (RWS) range
• Cost – lower cost compared to traditional rockets and missiles
• Effectiveness – more effective than some soft-kill effectors such as RF jammers
• Collateral – interceptors create low collateral damage compared to some alternatives
• Smart – Use advanced AI to counteract intelligent targets

The acquisition will broaden EOS’ C-UAS ‘effector’ portfolio complementing EOS’ RWS and High Energy Laser Weapons (HELW), offering another defensive layer.

The interceptor is able to counter smart UASs and has a high speed capability, up to 290km/h; it also has a low production cost compared with rockets and missiles and it can be integrated with EOS’s RWSs.

Importantly, the purchase both extends EOS’s software and AI capability and establishes EOS in the UK market. it further establishes EOS as the leading counter-drone capability company, it says.