Inside Italian defence tech (2026)
Jul 17
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Rennes, FranceParis, FranceArlington, United StatesRennes, FranceParis, FranceArlington, United States
Products & Solutions
TILBA-OGS
Optical ground stations for satellite-to-ground laser communications delivering speeds above 10 Gbps. TILBA-OGS integrates Cailabs' atmospheric turbulence mitigation technology with photonic component expertise to enable reliable, high-throughput links between orbiting satellites and ground-based receivers.
TILBA-LOS
Line-of-sight optical communication terminals for point-to-point links exceeding 10 Gbps over ranges above 10 km. TILBA-LOS is designed for land, air and sea communication networks and uses the same turbulence mitigation and photonic integration approach as the OGS product.
TILBA Technology Building Blocks
Component-level optical modules that improve free-space optical link reliability by mitigating atmospheric turbulence and boosting laser power during transmission. Intended for integration into customer-designed laser communication platforms across land, sea, air and space applications.
Optronics
Beam-shaping solutions for laser defence applications covering three areas: directed energy weapons (coherent combining of fibre laser sources to neutralise drones), mid-infrared systems (incoherent combining for high-power infrared beams) and compact rangefinder modules for multi-wavelength coupling and beam optimisation.
AROONA
A fibre network product that upgrades existing multimode optical fibre infrastructure to single-mode performance without replacing cables. Deployed in hospitals, universities and factories, AROONA has been installed in more than five thousand links worldwide.
CANUNDA
Laser processing head for industrial laser welding, additive manufacturing and micro-processing applications. CANUNDA uses beam shaping to improve quality and precision in high-power laser material processing.
About
Cailabs is a French deep-tech photonics company founded in 2013 and headquartered in Rennes, France. It designs and manufactures laser light-shaping products built on proprietary Multi-Plane Light Conversion (MPLC) technology, originally invented at the Kastler Brossel Laboratory in Paris. The company serves aerospace and defence, industrial laser processing and fibre network markets from offices in Rennes, Paris and Arlington, Virginia.
Offices
Rennes, FranceParis, FranceArlington, United StatesBacked by
NewSpace CapitalEuropean Investment Bank (EIB)Bpifrance (Definvest)European Innovation Council (EIC)Starquest CapitalInnovacomSafran Corporate VenturesCrédit Agricole Ille et Vilaine Expansion
Timeline
2025-09
Secured €57 million in structured financing led by the European Investment Bank (€37 million), alongside Bpifrance, NewSpace Capital, the European Innovation Council, Starquest Capital and Crédit Agricole Ille et Vilaine Expansion, to scale optical ground station production to 50 units per year by 2027.
2022-12
Raised €26 million in a round led by NewSpace Capital with participation from Definvest (Bpifrance/DGA), Starquest Capital, Innovacom, Safran Corporate Ventures and Crédit Agricole Ille et Vilaine Expansion.
2017
Set a world record for optical fibre transmission capacity through a single fibre, achieved in collaboration with Japanese operator KDDI.
2013
Founded in Rennes, France by Jean-François Morizur, Guillaume Labroille and Nicolas Treps.
Open Positions (3)
Products & Solutions
TILBA-OGS
Optical ground stations for satellite-to-ground laser communications delivering speeds above 10 Gbps. TILBA-OGS integrates Cailabs' atmospheric turbulence mitigation technology with photonic component expertise to enable reliable, high-throughput links between orbiting satellites and ground-based receivers.
TILBA-LOS
Line-of-sight optical communication terminals for point-to-point links exceeding 10 Gbps over ranges above 10 km. TILBA-LOS is designed for land, air and sea communication networks and uses the same turbulence mitigation and photonic integration approach as the OGS product.
TILBA Technology Building Blocks
Component-level optical modules that improve free-space optical link reliability by mitigating atmospheric turbulence and boosting laser power during transmission. Intended for integration into customer-designed laser communication platforms across land, sea, air and space applications.
Optronics
Beam-shaping solutions for laser defence applications covering three areas: directed energy weapons (coherent combining of fibre laser sources to neutralise drones), mid-infrared systems (incoherent combining for high-power infrared beams) and compact rangefinder modules for multi-wavelength coupling and beam optimisation.
AROONA
A fibre network product that upgrades existing multimode optical fibre infrastructure to single-mode performance without replacing cables. Deployed in hospitals, universities and factories, AROONA has been installed in more than five thousand links worldwide.
CANUNDA
Laser processing head for industrial laser welding, additive manufacturing and micro-processing applications. CANUNDA uses beam shaping to improve quality and precision in high-power laser material processing.
Open Positions (3)
About
Cailabs is a French deep-tech photonics company founded in 2013 and headquartered in Rennes, France. It designs and manufactures laser light-shaping products built on proprietary Multi-Plane Light Conversion (MPLC) technology, originally invented at the Kastler Brossel Laboratory in Paris. The company serves aerospace and defence, industrial laser processing and fibre network markets from offices in Rennes, Paris and Arlington, Virginia.
Offices
Rennes, FranceParis, FranceArlington, United StatesBacked by
NewSpace CapitalEuropean Investment Bank (EIB)Bpifrance (Definvest)European Innovation Council (EIC)Starquest CapitalInnovacomSafran Corporate VenturesCrédit Agricole Ille et Vilaine Expansion
Timeline
2025-09
Secured €57 million in structured financing led by the European Investment Bank (€37 million), alongside Bpifrance, NewSpace Capital, the European Innovation Council, Starquest Capital and Crédit Agricole Ille et Vilaine Expansion, to scale optical ground station production to 50 units per year by 2027.
2022-12
Raised €26 million in a round led by NewSpace Capital with participation from Definvest (Bpifrance/DGA), Starquest Capital, Innovacom, Safran Corporate Ventures and Crédit Agricole Ille et Vilaine Expansion.
2017
Set a world record for optical fibre transmission capacity through a single fibre, achieved in collaboration with Japanese operator KDDI.
2013
Founded in Rennes, France by Jean-François Morizur, Guillaume Labroille and Nicolas Treps.
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