- INLEAP Photonics opens new production facility in Hanover for series manufacturing of INLEAP® FASTLIGHT® HELD systems
- Lower Saxony’s Minister-President Olaf Lies to attend the opening of the production facility
- First turnkey INLEAP® FASTLIGHT® HELD systems to be handed over to STARK as production begins
Hanover, 29 October 2026 – INLEAP Photonics will open its new production facility for laser-based C-UAS at its Hanover site on 30 October 2026. The facility will manufacture INLEAP® FASTLIGHT® HELD systems in series. The ramp-up of series production and further deliveries will begin in November 2026.
INLEAP® FASTLIGHT® HELD (High Energy Laser Drone) is a mobile laser-based counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) mounted on an all-terrain unmanned ground platform. It detects, tracks and identifies a drone before directing the laser beam at its critical structural components to neutralise it within seconds.
Ultra-fast laser beam steering also enables the system to track and engage moving targets with high precision. The system provides remotely operated protection for mobile units, temporarily secured areas and critical infrastructure.
“Small, fast-moving drones demand exceptional precision when it comes to neutralisation. Once AI has identified a drone’s vulnerable point, our technology steers the laser beam towards the identified target within seconds and keeps it precisely aligned, even as the drone moves. With HELD, we are making this capability available for mobile deployment scenarios,” says Dr.-Ing. Felix Wellmann, CTO and founder of INLEAP Photonics.
Six stations, one continuous production flow
With its new production line, INLEAP Photonics is moving from prototype development to industrial series production. This gives the company its own manufacturing capacity in Germany for its laser-based C-UAS technology.
The new manufacturing process follows the one-piece flow principle. Each INLEAP® FASTLIGHT® HELD system passes individually through six coordinated production stations, without intermediate storage. This reduces lead times and creates the flexibility to scale up production as demand grows.
“With the launch of series production, we are laying the groundwork to reliably fulfil larger orders and respond to the needs of military customers with the necessary production capacity,” says Dr.-Ing. Marius Lammers, CEO and founder of INLEAP Photonics. “Europe needs more than innovative technology. It needs the sovereign capacity to produce it at scale.”
High-tech value creation in Lower Saxony
The opening of the production facility also marks the next stage of growth in Lower Saxony. INLEAP Photonics currently employs 50 people, and its workforce at the Hanover site is expected to grow to more than 100 by the end of 2027.
“Innovative technologies for counter-drone defence and the protection of critical infrastructure are increasingly coming from Lower Saxony. INLEAP Photonics demonstrates how cutting-edge research can generate industrial value and create new jobs. Particularly when it comes to security-related technologies, having our own development and production capacities is of strategic importance. The fact that a Hanover-based company is successfully making the transition from research to series production strengthens Lower Saxony as a centre of innovation and industry,” says Olaf Lies, Minister-President of Lower Saxony.
In addition to Olaf Lies, Sven Weizenegger, Head of the Bundeswehr Cyber Innovation Hub (CIHBw), will also attend the opening. Just recently, INLEAP Photonics and CIHBw publicly demonstrated laser-based defence against a drone in flight at the civilian-operated Strausberg airfield near Berlin, marking the conclusion of their joint innovation project “Laserdome”.
“With Laserdome, INLEAP Photonics and the Bundeswehr Cyber Innovation Hub demonstrated laser-based drone defence at a public airport for the first time. The laser delivers the effect; AI-powered software provides the precision. To bring this capability into operational use by the armed forces, it now needs to be scaled up. The launch of series production at INLEAP Photonics is an important signal in that direction,” says Sven Weizenegger, Head of the Bundeswehr Cyber Innovation Hub.
First systems to be delivered
Alongside the launch of its new series production line, INLEAP Photonics is handing over the first turnkey INLEAP® FASTLIGHT® HELD systems to its partner STARK. This marks the immediate transition from expanded production capacity to customer deliveries.
About INLEAP Photonics
INLEAP Photonics is a high-tech company that produces and markets ultra-fast, precise laser beam steering systems. The company focuses in particular on two application areas: increasing the efficiency of industrial laser-based manufacturing processes and enabling safe, controlled drone defence to protect people and critical infrastructure.
INLEAP Photonics was founded as a spin-off from Laser Zentrum Hannover e. V. and combines industrial robustness with leading expertise in optics and laser systems technology. Further information is available at inleap-photonics.com.
