Electro Optic Systems is accumulating meaningful defense and space opportunities. It has MoUs for Czech vehicle systems and Indian high-energy lasers, was selected for the US Space Force's satellite-tracking reserve, and has an A$700m Kuwait counter-drone contract that could drive over 80% of revenue in 12–24 months. x.com 

Electro Optic Systems is the best public stock for the rising importance of space warfare, a view matched by first-hand observation of NATO's Aurora exercise in Sweden as a reserve officer. As @PhotonBull argues, modern war runs on satellites for GPS, drone datalinks and over-the-horizon ISR, and whoever controls the orbital layer wins the surface war by default. x.com  x.com 

Czechoslovak Group looks cheap as the lowest-valued name in its EU defense peer group, at a single-digit forward P/E and under 10x forward EBIT. It is a broken IPO that crashed to lows after a short report and sells old-school defense tech, largely repurposed Cold War equipment, but its founder-CEO is a real hustler and parts of the sector have begun trading better. EU defense still faces fiscally constrained governments, crowded positioning and a possible Ukraine peace. x.com  x.com  x.com 

IPG Photonics' defense lasers are a stickier, higher-margin business even after a hollow beat sent the stock cratering. Its CROSSBOW lasers, built on IPG's fiber laser technology, neutralize drones up to 25kg, with an 8kW version reaching 2,500 meters in a demo. A $10 million Lockheed Martin follow-on order in February 2026 is small against $1 billion of revenue but shows Lockheed standardizing on IPG's laser for mobile counter-drone use. Defense/medical targets 45%+ gross margin. x.com 

Aixtron is a mispriced European AI photonics play: it holds over 90% of the market for the MOCVD reactors that grow the indium phosphide crystals used in AI data center lasers, so every laser in Nvidia or Broadcom optical transceivers starts in its machines. Customers include Coherent, Lumentum, Nokia/Infinera and SMART Photonics, and laser lead times stretch past 2027. Despite a significant re-rating, it trades at 38x EV/EBITDA versus 84x for peers like BESI. x.com