Israeli defence company Elbit Systems plans to establish its first European production and maintenance centre for Laser Warning Systems (LWS) in Sweden. Scheduled to become operational in 2027, the facility will provide local assembly, integration, maintenance and lifecycle support for European customers. The investment is intended to strengthen the company’s industrial presence in Europe while reducing dependence on production and support facilities outside the region.
Elbit Systems is expanding its European industrial footprint through a new facility dedicated to laser warning technology. The planned centre, to be established by Elbit Systems Sweden, will become the company’s first European production and maintenance facility specifically for Laser Warning Systems.
According to the company, the centre is expected to begin operations in 2027. It will undertake local production-related activities, including assembly and integration, as well as maintenance and lifecycle support for systems operated by European armed forces.
The initiative forms part of Elbit Systems’ strategy to expand its industrial presence in Europe and develop local technological capabilities. By transferring selected production and support activities to Sweden, the company aims to improve system availability, shorten delivery times and provide European customers with more direct access to technical support. The facility is also intended to contribute to European defence industrial resilience by establishing additional capabilities within the region.
Passive Detection of Laser Threats
The new centre will focus on the next generation of Elbit Systems’ passive Laser Warning Systems. These systems are designed to detect and locate laser emissions directed towards a protected military platform, providing its crew or protection systems with information about a potential threat.
Laser warning receivers are an important component of modern platform self-protection architectures. Laser emissions may indicate that a vehicle or other military asset is being observed, its range is being measured or it is being designated as a target for a laser-guided weapon. By detecting such emissions, a laser warning system can provide an early indication of possible hostile activity. Depending on the platform and its equipment, the warning may allow the crew to take evasive action, deploy obscurants or initiate other protective measures.
Unlike active sensors, passive laser warning systems do not need to emit their own signals to detect incoming laser radiation. This enables them to monitor the surrounding environment without revealing their position through their own laser emissions. According to Elbit Systems, its next-generation LWS is designed to detect and localise laser threats rapidly, giving operators additional time to assess the situation and respond.
Decentralised Architecture for Easier Integration
A central feature of the new system generation is its decentralised architecture. According to Elbit Systems, this reduces the number of components required for installation and limits the modifications needed to integrate the system into existing military platforms.
The design is also intended to simplify integration with existing command-and-control systems, allowing laser threat information to be incorporated into a wider situational awareness and self-protection architecture. This is particularly relevant when upgrading vehicles and other military equipment already in service. Retrofitting additional protection systems can require modifications to vehicle structures, electrical installations and onboard electronics. A system designed to minimise these changes may therefore simplify integration and reduce the effort associated with modernisation programmes.
Elbit Systems states that its laser warning technology is already deployed by armed forces internationally as part of integrated platform self-protection suites. The company has not identified which customers or platforms will receive systems manufactured or assembled at the planned Swedish facility.
Sweden as a Northern European Industrial Hub
Elbit Systems Sweden was established in 2020 and has since expanded to more than 100 employees across the country. The subsidiary serves as a regional hub for the group’s activities in Northern Europe and cooperates with Sweden’s defence industry and military organisations.
In recent years, the Swedish subsidiary has participated in defence and digitalisation programmes supporting the Swedish Armed Forces. The planned LWS centre would extend these activities into local production and maintenance of specialised protection equipment, adding industrial capabilities to the company’s existing regional presence. Elbit Systems also intends to transfer relevant technologies to support the new operation. According to the company, this is designed to strengthen local expertise and establish more resilient supply and support arrangements for European and NATO customers.
The Swedish location is significant in the context of Europe’s wider efforts to strengthen defence production and reduce vulnerabilities in military supply chains. Local manufacturing and maintenance capacity can provide additional flexibility in responding to changing procurement requirements and sustaining equipment already in service. However, the extent to which the new facility will independently manufacture components, rather than assemble and integrate systems supplied from elsewhere, has not yet been specified.
Local Support and European Supply Chains
Beyond initial production, the planned centre is intended to provide long-term maintenance and lifecycle support. For military customers, these activities can be as important as the original delivery of a system. Access to regional maintenance facilities may reduce the need to return equipment to manufacturers outside Europe and could help shorten repair and turnaround times.
Elbit Systems expects the Swedish centre to improve availability and delivery schedules while strengthening its ability to support European armed forces over the service life of their equipment. “This initiative represents an important step for us and reflects our commitment to strengthening our capabilities to develop, deliver and produce locally,” said Tobias Wennberg, CEO of Elbit Systems Sweden. “It also aligns well with our core technologies and enables us to expand our scope going forward. Through the establishment of this centre and the transfer of advanced technologies, we aim to support Swedish, European and NATO customers with reliable, long-term and locally supported self-protection solutions with secure and sovereign supply chains.”
The announcement reflects the increasing importance of regional industrial capabilities in European defence procurement. While the underlying laser warning technology remains part of Elbit Systems’ portfolio, the new Swedish centre is intended to bring production-related activities and long-term support closer to the armed forces that operate the equipment.
If the facility becomes operational as planned in 2027, it will represent a further expansion of the Israeli company’s European manufacturing and support network.
Author: Arie Egozi, Israel Correspondent
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