Thales Adds LiDAR to Its 70 mm Rocket to Kill Drones

The LGR275 Proxy pairs laser guidance with a proximity sensor tuned for counter-UAS — and production is set to hit 20,000 units a year by 2028.

By The Defense Desk

Thales unveiled the LGR275 Proxy at Eurosatory in Paris: a 70 mm laser guided rocket fitted with a new LiDAR proximity sensor built specifically to intercept drones. [1]

The sensor uses laser pulses to measure distance to a target and activates when it enters proximity of the threat — a direct response, Thales officials said, to lessons drawn from conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. [1]

[1] The rocket will slot into Thales's layered air defense architecture, SkyDefender. [1]

Production ambitions have scaled sharply alongside demand. [1]

The shift from reactive production to make-to-stock manufacturing signals something broader: the counter-drone market has moved from niche procurement to industrial-scale urgency, and suppliers are restructuring accordingly.

Thales Belgium is now building inventory ahead of anticipated orders — betting that demand, when it arrives in volume, will outpace any system still made to order. [1]