Elbit to Build Laser Warning Systems in Sweden

21 October, 2026

Opening in 2027, the facility will manufacture and support laser warning systems for European customers, strengthening Elbit’s regional industrial presence and locally supported defense capabilities

Above: A Merkava tank equipped with a laser warning system. Photo: Elbit Systems.

Elbit Systems Sweden plans to establish Elbit’s first European manufacturing and maintenance center for laser warning systems (LWS), expanding its defense industrial footprint in the region.

Laser warning systems are passive detection systems that provide rapid, precise warning of laser-based threats. These include lasers associated with guided bombs and missiles, airborne and ground-based target designators, laser rangefinders and laser beam-riding missiles.

The systems use optical sensors sensitive to the wavelengths employed by military lasers. When laser radiation reaches a sensor, the system analyzes several characteristics to identify and classify the source. Wavelength helps identify the type of laser, while pulse repetition frequency helps distinguish between different systems. The direction of the incoming radiation indicates the threat’s bearing, and other signal characteristics help determine whether the source is a rangefinder, target designator or another guidance system.

Elbit’s technology can also detect laser beam-riding guidance systems, which present a particular challenge. In this guidance method, the launcher projects a laser beam toward the target, and the missile uses that beam as a reference to correct its flight path. Unlike a missile that homes in on laser light reflected from the target, a beam-riding missile typically receives its guidance signal through a rear-facing sensor.

Serving European and NATO Customers

Elbit said the new center forms part of its effort to strengthen its European defense industrial infrastructure. Scheduled to begin operating in 2027, it will provide integration, assembly, maintenance and lifecycle support for European laser warning system customers.

The systems produced at the facility are designed to detect laser threats immediately and determine their direction of origin. Elbit’s latest generation uses a distributed architecture designed for integration with existing command-and-control systems. This approach also allows multiple sensors to be installed on a platform, with configurations tailored to operational requirements.

Established in 2020, Elbit Systems Sweden now employs more than 100 people and works closely with the Swedish defense industry. It participates in Swedish military programs, including advanced digitization initiatives.

In 2023, the subsidiary secured a contract worth approximately $170 million to serve as the integration partner for the Swedish Army’s LSS Mark digitization program. It also won a roughly $48 million contract to supply the Swedish Army with Technical High Mobility Shelters, mobile units designed to house technical equipment and operate in demanding terrain.

Tobias Wennberg, CEO of Elbit Systems Sweden, said the center would provide customers in Sweden, across Europe and in NATO countries with locally supported self-protection solutions backed by secure supply chains under sovereign control.

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