EOS to expand manufacturing with acquisition of MARSS

Australian defence and space technology manufacturer Electro Optic Systems (EOS) has announced that it will acquire the MARSS group, a Europe-based provider of command and control (C2) systems, which are critical for effectively countering drones.

MARSS’s proprietary C2 technology, NiDAR, provides advanced AI-enabled decision-making and sensor-effector orchestration to rapidly counter asymmetric drone threats. By combining its effector and sensor capabilities with MARSS’s C2 technology, EOS says it is transforming from a component supplier to an integrated counter-drone systems provider, with strong software and AI capabilities.

Established in 2006, MARSS is a defence and security technology provider focused on developing and marketing sensor-fusion technology and AI-enabled C2 systems primarily for counter-drone use.

EOS says the acquisition will create an integrated, end-to-end solution for countering drones — ie, Detect, Identify, Decide and Defeat — allowing EOS to act as a true counter-drone system provider and to compete for larger, higher-value programs as a prime contractor. This will include the delivery and operation of turn-key solutions for the protection of critical infrastructure in the military, homeland security and civil domain, such as airports or power plants. It will also expand EOS’s geographic footprint and broaden its end market presence, with scope to leverage MARSS’s defence, homeland security and civil relationships, while strengthening its in-house AI and software development capability.

EOS says it plans to embed the AI-enabled NiDAR technology into its existing remote weapon system product range. It is envisaged that this will create the ability for the systems to form a mesh network, providing the client’s vehicle fleet with hemispherical coverage against drone attacks — a new feature in today’s market.

The importance of C2 has increased markedly as the drone threat evolves from isolated systems to coordinated, autonomous and swarm-based attacks. The speed, scale and complexity of these threats exceed human capacity to manage them manually, making AI-enabled C2 essential for data fusion, threat prioritisation and effective human decision-making.

Image credit: EOS