What Aktyvus Photonics does

Aktyvus Photonics is a privately-held Lithuanian defense technology company founded in 2020 and headquartered in Vilnius, specializing in ruggedized Diode-Pumped Solid-State (DPSS) laser systems engineered for harsh and battlefield environments. The company develops and manufactures three core products: the Visor-R, a commercial Q-switched DPSS laser for remote sensing and industrial/scientific applications (LIBS, LIDAR, PIV, LIF); the Striker Mini, a NATO STANAG 3733-compliant compact OEM laser target designator for micro-UAVs; and the Baudėjas, an ultra-compact (<400g) OEM DPSS target designator for handheld use and 12-inch gimbals. All products share an IP67-sealed, MIL-STD-810-compliant architecture with passive thermal management, EU-sourced ITAR-free components, and are supported by an in-house ISO-6 certified cleanroom plus Sintratec S2 SLS and Mlab R SLM additive manufacturing for rapid prototyping.

The company makes money through direct B2B hardware sales of laser systems, OEM/embedded integration partnerships with UAV and gimbal manufacturers, and custom laser development services for defense primes and government agencies. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with contracts structured as one-time hardware purchases or multi-year enterprise agreements. Go-to-market is led by CEO Laurynas Šatas through direct enterprise outreach, international defense exhibitions (Eurosatory, plus 15 planned exhibitions through 2028), and an EU co-funded export market development initiative. Primary customers are defense contractors, military JTAC operators, UAV/drone OEMs, and government procurement agencies in NATO and allied markets, with combat validation in Ukraine cited as a key credibility signal; a secondary segment serves industrial and scientific users requiring portable, field-deployable lasers. Aktyvus is scaling production to 600+ units annually by 2027 and raised approximately $4.76 million from ILTE Lietuva in April 2025 to support that expansion.

Name

Aktyvus Photonics

Legal name

UAB Aktyvus Photonics

Website

https://aktyvusphotonics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aktyvus Photonics is a Lithuanian defense technology company founded in 2020 that designs and manufactures ruggedized, ITAR-free DPSS laser systems — including the Visor-R, Striker Mini, and Baudėjas — for defense contractors, UAV manufacturers, and government agencies requiring compact, field-deployable target designation and remote sensing capabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Laser Systems

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Optoelectronic Emitters (LED/Laser/VCSEL) (HDAHALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

LiDAR & 3D Sensing Modules (HDAHALAG)

Keywords

• Defense laser systems
• DPSS solid-state lasers
• Laser target designators
• UAV targeting payloads
• Ruggedized laser hardware

Headquarters

HQ city

Vilnius

HQ country

Lithuania

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Laser Hardware Sales: Sale of ruggedized DPSS laser systems including Visor-R, Striker Mini, and Baudėjas products. One-time hardware purchases with pricing based on specifications and customization requirements. Target customers include defense contractors, UAV manufacturers, and military procurement agencies.
2. OEM/Embedded Systems: Integration of proprietary laser modules into customer platforms (micro-UAVs, gimbals, UGVs, handheld devices). Business-to-business OEM partnerships with defense platform manufacturers for embedded laser designation capability.
3. Custom Development Services: Rapid prototyping and custom laser solution development leveraging in-house additive manufacturing and optical design capabilities. Collaborative engineering services for defense primes requiring tailored specifications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Aktyvus Photonics designs, develops, and manufactures compact, ruggedized DPSS (Diode-Pumped Solid-State) laser systems engineered to operate in extreme environments. Its portfolio spans commercial remote-sensing lasers (Visor-R) and miniaturized OEM laser target designators (Striker Mini, Baudėjas) for micro-UAV, gimbal, and handheld integration, with in-house rapid prototyping, ISO-6 cleanroom manufacturing, and ITAR-free EU-sourced components.

Product overview

Aktyvus Photonics is a Lithuanian defense technology company founded in 2020, specializing in ultra-robust, compact laser systems for harsh and battlefield environments. The company's product portfolio comprises three distinct laser products: the VISOR-R (a commercial DPSS laser for remote sensing and industrial/military uses), the STRIKER Mini (an OEM target designator for micro-UAVs), and Baudėjas (an OEM laser target designator for micro-UAVs and handheld devices). All products share a core technology platform of miniaturized DPSS lasers with passive thermal management, IP67/MIL-STD-810 ruggedization, and EU-sourced, ITAR-free components. The company positions itself as serving defense customers requiring precision targeting and remote sensing capabilities, with an in-house rapid prototyping capability (SLS/SLM 3D printing) and ISO-6 certified cleanroom for manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Visor-R: Commercial DPSS laser for remote sensing, designed for harsh environments. IP67 sealed, extremely robust, suitable for LIBS, LIDAR, PIV, and target designation applications.
• Striker Mini
• Baudėjas

Products and services

• VISOR-R DPSS Laser System Commercial Q-switched DPSS laser delivering 40-90 mJ pulse energy at 1064 nm in a compact 152x75x55 mm form factor under 1200 g. IP67 sealed, MIL-STD-810 compliant for shock and vibration, sub-zero temperature capable, with plug-and-play integration. Sold to industrial, scientific, aerospace, medical, and defense customers for LIBS, LIDAR, PIV, LIF, photoacoustic medical imaging, optical amplification, and target designation applications.
• STRIKER Mini OEM Laser Target Designator Compact OEM 1064 nm laser target designator in a business-card-sized 84.5x50x34.6 mm form factor for integration into 6-inch gimbals, rotary drones, fixed-wing drones, UGVs, and ground stations. NATO STANAG 3733 compliant, ITAR-free with EU-sourced components, passive-cooled, with integrated drive electronics for plug-and-play integration.
• Baudėjas Micro-UAV Laser Target Designator Ultra-compact OEM DPSS laser target designator under 400 g, fitting in the hand, designed for 12-inch gimbals and handheld devices. Integrated electronics and optics in a single unit with passive chassis cooling, ITAR-free and BAFA-free with EU/Lithuanian components, and built for harsh battlefield conditions.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Innovation Agency (Inovacijų agentūra)coreOthers · 1 March 2026Lithuanian government innovation agency administering EU-funded export market development project (EUR 238,288 total budget, EUR 119,144 EU grant) under the 2021-2027 European Union Funds Investment Programme. Supports internationalization of defense/security sector SME products.
• FTMC (Center for Physical Sciences and Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021AMLTD project consortium partner leading lightweight materials development using selective laser melting/3D printing for the Additive Manufacturing of Lightweight Laser Target Designator project funded by EDF2021. Contributes expertise in advanced materials preparation for miniaturized LTD systems.
• OpenEngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021AMLTD project consortium partner leading multiphysics simulation of system thermomechanical properties. Provides advanced simulation capabilities for laser system thermal and mechanical design optimization.
• GDTechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021AMLTD project consortium partner leading topology optimization of stress-tolerant optomechanical structures. Contributes structural optimization expertise for durable laser system design.
• ALTUS LSAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021AMLTD project consortium partner acting as final integrator, guiding the project as the laser system is tailored for integration into their VTOL platform.
• ATLAS 204coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021AMLTD project consortium partner. VTOL platform provider targeted as end-use integration platform for the miniature laser target designator developed under the project.
• ESA BIC Lithuania (European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021ESA Business Incubation Centre Lithuania member, indicating support for space-related technology development and commercialization. Listed among memberships and projects.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Thales: Global defense prime with a portfolio that includes laser target designators (e.g., DHY/207/DM, Mark series) used by NATO forces. Most direct large-customer overlap for Aktyvus's Striker Mini / Baudėjas as Thales builds targeting and UAV integration systems for armed forces.
• Leonardo S.p.A. Italian defense prime producing laser target designators (e.g., LDM/LF series) integrated into helicopters, UAVs and ground platforms. Comparable customer base (NATO defense ministries) and competes for the same designation sockets on UAV platforms.
• Elbit Systems: Israeli defense electronics house producing laser designators and ISTAR payloads for micro-UAV platforms (e.g., THOR, Condor). Direct overlap on the OEM integration channel for small gimbal UAV payloads and on JTAC-style designation use cases.
• L3Harris Technologies: U.S. defense prime with extensive laser target designator and UAV EO/IR sensor portfolio. Most relevant U.S. competitor for compact OEM designator modules and a reference point for the ITAR-free positioning that Aktyvus uses to differentiate outside the U.S. market.
• Teledyne FLIR Defense: Supplies UAV EO/IR targeting payloads and laser designation capability used on micro-UAV gimbal systems. Adjacent competitor for UAV OEM integration sockets and a frequent co-component on the same drone platforms Aktyvus targets.

Direct peers

• CILAS (Safran): French laser specialist owned by Safran that produces DLC/LT designators and laser components for harsh-environment defense applications. Closest direct product overlap with Aktyvus's DPSS Q-switched target designators at compact form factors.
• EKSPLA: Lithuanian DPSS laser manufacturer headquartered nearby, producing Q-switched solid-state lasers for scientific/industrial markets. Direct technological peer on the underlying DPSS Q-switched platform Aktyvus uses, and key supplier ecosystem participant.
• Lumibird (Quantel): European DPSS and Nd:YAG laser specialist producing compact military-grade lasers (Ultra, Ultra-G, Q-Smart series). Most analogous product line to Aktyvus's Visor-R for remote-sensing and ruggedized defense/scientific applications.
• EdgeWave GmbH: German manufacturer of Q-switched DPSS lasers serving industrial marking, medical and defense/niche applications. Similar technology base (Q-switched DPSS) and German precision-engineering heritage, competing in the same harsh-environment laser niche.

Emerging players

• Tonbo Imaging: Indian micro-UAV payload manufacturer building EO/IR and ISR subsystems for small drone platforms. Comparable OEM integration model for gimbal/UAV payloads and emerging-player profile targeting compact, ITAR-friendly defense electronics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aktyvus-photonics

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aktyvus Photonics