EOS Celebrates First US Production Unit

EOS Defense Systems USA, Inc. a wholly-owned subsidiary of Electro Optic Systems Holdings Limited today (29 October, 4pm US CST) held a special gala event to celebrate the unveiling of the very first complete R400 remote weapon station (RWS) produced at its Huntsville, Alabama high-tech facility.

The one hour event was broadcast live and attended by a mix of in person and virtual Australian and US distinguished guests.

Featuring an impressive line-up of VIP speakers, the gala kicked off with a message of unity from Washington-based, Australian Ambassador, Arthur Sinodinus said, “We look to the US for so much innovation and yet when we look at our own country there is also much innovation. EOS is an example of a company that was spun out to develop Australian innovation and look how its gone, how successful its been. It’s a great role model to other Australian companies.”

Well wishes continued from US dignitaries and esteemed guests, Governor Kay Ivey, Governor of the State of Alabama; Secretary Greg Canfield, Secretary of Commerce for the State of Alabama; Mayor Tommy Battle, Mr Dale Strong, Chairman Madison County Commission and LTG (ret) Kevin Byrnes, Huntsville/Madison Chamber of Commerce. Each offering their staunch support since the facility’s inauguration in 2018.

Governor Ivey said, “Huntsville continues to demonstrate that Alabama is at the forefront of the United States’ aerospace and defense contracting industries. The unveiling of EOS Defense Systems’ R400 Remote Weapon System is symbolic of the commitment they made in calling Alabama their home just two years ago, and I am eager to see what the future holds for this world-class contracting firm in our great state.”

Joining the celebrations from Australia, founder and Group CEO for Electro Optic Systems Pty Limited, Dr Ben Greene said:

"The city of Huntsville was chosen to be the home of EOS Defense Systems USA because it is a wonderful community environment that services a dynamic centre of excellence for all of the US Defence and Space agencies that are key customers of the EOS Group. The State, Region and City are fully committed to supporting high technology business and our relationship with each of these civic elements has been excellent right from the start.

I would like to extend my thanks to Governor Ivey, Secretary Canfield, Mayor Tommy Battle, Mr Dale Strong, Mr Chip Cherry and LTG (ret) Kevin Byrnes, without your help this would have been a challenging exercise.

World-class standards and already proven process have been replicated through many hours of collaboration between US and Australian teams, even throughout the most difficult COVID-19 times which has been commendable.

Huntsville is more than just defence facility producing remote weapon stations. It is a hub to support space and communications activities, for the manufacturing of satcom-on-the move and for the development of space systems technology for the US Department and Government Agencies.”

EOS secured the 80,000 square feet facility in Huntsville in 2018 for the US expansion of its space, missile defence, and weapon system businesses. Starting initially with just six employees, the company has grown to 60 staff and the facility has scale to grow to at least 250 employees. The plant capacity will initially be 50 units/month with substantial scope for expansion once the supply chain is fully established.

Before the big reveal Phil Coker President for EOS Defense Systems, USA shared his passion for EOS and the R400 RWS saying:

"I’m here with this company because of what they do and what they make. This is a game changer for our warfighters; our people need this. The R400 is a technological wonder. It compensates for barometric pressure, wind, temperature. It senses the orientation of the platform it’s been installed on and knows the cant of that machine. It anticipates how the platform reacts to the forces of firing and recoil. It knows the characteristics of the ammunition and the weapons that are mounted on it down to the millisecond of performance and compensates for all of those factors.

It senses the direction and rate of movement of the target and its range and it then develops an absolutely optimal firing solution, resulting in an astounding level of precision. It makes weapons and ammunition shoot better than what they are designed for. It’s an amazing thing and it does all this whether the platform is stationary or moving. When firing a 30mm round, we commonly see a first round hit beyond two kilometres. This is a level of accuracy that no one in our industry even comes close to.”

With speeches concluded the facility’s very first RWS ‘number one’ was unveiled; a R400S-Mk2-D-HD mounted on the Polaris Dagor.

The first RWS to roll off the production line will be delivered under purchase order and awarded through the Tailored Logistics Support Program – Special Operational Equipment (TLSP-SOE) to the US Army to support the United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command - Armaments Center (CCDC-AC) Joint Center of Excellence for Lethality at Picatinny Arsenal. The purchase order was received on April 30, 2020 from Darley Defense (W.S. Darley & Co., Itasca, IL) and is in support of CCDC-AC.

Remote Weapon Station #1 - the R400S-Mk2-D-HD mounted on the Polaris Agoda