The U.S. Army has awarded AeroVironment a $464.8 million Other Transaction Agreement to produce LOCUST X3 high-energy laser weapons under the service’s Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) program, the company announced. AeroVironment describes the deal as the first production contract for a directed-energy weapon in U.S. history, shifting laser counter-drone systems from experimental demonstrations to a sustained acquisition program.
The LOCUST X3 is a platform-agnostic, 30-kilowatt-class laser designed to engage Group 1 through Group 3 unmanned aircraft, including reconnaissance drones and one-way attack systems, through repeated engagements. AeroVironment said the system can be integrated onto platforms such as the Army’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, with palletized configurations also under consideration, and that the contract covers production units along with training and sustainment support.
Why it matters: Militaries have spent years testing laser weapons in demonstrations without committing to volume production, largely because directed-energy systems have struggled with reliability and cost at scale. A dedicated production contract signals the Army now views lasers as mature enough to field as a lower-cost-per-shot alternative to missile-based counter-drone defenses, a shift with implications for airbases and other fixed installations facing persistent small-drone threats. It also follows the Army’s own first confirmed combat use of a different laser system, AMP-HEL, along the Texas border in August.
Source: AeroVironment company announcement and DefenseScoop, September 2, 2026.
Leave a Reply