U.S. Army Awards AeroVironment $464.8M for LOCUST X3 Laser Weapon Systems to Expand Counter-Drone Defense.

The U.S. Army is moving AeroVironment’s LOCUST X3 counter-drone laser into sustained production under a $464.8 million E-HEL contract announced on September 2, 2026. The deal will give Army formations a reusable hard-kill weapon against Group 1 through Group 3 drones, strengthening layered defenses while reducing reliance on costly missile interceptors.

The 30-kilowatt-class LOCUST X3 is designed to defeat reconnaissance drones, one-way attack aircraft, and larger tactical unmanned systems through repeated laser engagements. Its ability to keep firing while power, cooling, and system availability are sustained could extend defensive endurance and preserve finite missile and ammunition stocks as drone attacks become more persistent.

Related Topic: U.S. Army Takes Delivery of First JLTV-Mounted LOCUST High-Energy Laser Counter-Drone System

The U.S. Army is moving the LOCUST X3 counter-drone laser into sustained production under a $464.8 million contract with AeroVironment (Picture Source: AeroVironment)

The U.S. Army has awarded AeroVironment a $464.8 million production contract for the Enduring-High Energy Laser, or E-HEL, program, formally moving the LOCUST X3 counter-drone laser from prototyping into sustained production. Announced on September 2, 2026, the agreement calls for dozens of laser weapon systems to be delivered over the coming years, giving Army formations a reusable hard-kill capability against Group 1 through Group 3 unmanned aircraft and strengthening layered defenses against increasingly persistent drone threats.

Under the Other Transaction Agreement, AeroVironment will deliver dozens of LOCUST X3 systems over the next several years while also providing training and continuing system support. The 30-kilowatt laser is intended primarily to defeat Group 1 through Group 3 unmanned aircraft, giving Army units another hard-kill option against reconnaissance drones, one-way attack aircraft and larger tactical unmanned systems. By adding directed energy alongside missile, gun and electronic-warfare defenses, the Army gains another engagement option that can increase defensive endurance while allowing commanders to reserve kinetic interceptors for threats best suited to those weapons.

High-energy lasers introduce a different engagement model because they do not rely on a conventional magazine of missiles or ammunition. When supported by sufficient electrical generation and thermal-management capacity, LOCUST X3 can conduct repeated engagements using directed energy, making power availability, cooling and system readiness central to sustained counter-UAS operations. This characteristic is particularly relevant as unmanned aircraft increasingly threaten command posts, logistics areas, air-defense positions and maneuver formations, creating demand for defenses capable of responding to repeated aerial incursions without relying exclusively on finite interceptor inventories.

LOCUST X3 is designed for integration with several Army vehicle and ground configurations. AeroVironment says the weapon will be integrated with the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, can operate in a palletized configuration and could later be evaluated for installation on the Infantry Squad Vehicle, supporting both semi-fixed protection of critical sites and potential mobile counter-UAS missions with tactical formations. The Army configuration is rated at 30 kilowatts, while effective vehicle integration will require sufficient electrical generation, thermal management, sensors and beam-control capacity to sustain repeated engagements while preserving the mobility and readiness required by operational units.

The E-HEL program builds on the Army Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser, or AMP-HEL, prototypes already in service use, allowing lessons from previous testing and operation to feed directly into the production effort. LOCUST has also undergone counter-drone testing at White Sands Missile Range under Joint Interagency Task Force 401 and Army acquisition authorities, where AeroVironment says the system demonstrated safe and effective operations against unmanned aircraft in U.S. airspace. Those trials also contributed to coordination between U.S. defense authorities and the Federal Aviation Administration over procedures for employing high-energy lasers domestically, an important step for expanding realistic training and operational preparation.

The operational value of LOCUST X3 will depend on its role within the Army's broader layered air-defense architecture rather than on the laser operating as an isolated weapon. Commanders can combine directed energy with electronic warfare, guns and missile defenses according to target characteristics, range, engagement conditions and mission priorities, giving units greater flexibility in selecting the most appropriate response. Such an approach can improve the efficiency of counter-UAS operations by assigning different effectors to the threats they are best suited to defeat while maintaining multiple defensive options against more demanding aerial targets.

LOCUST X3 is intended to complement existing short-range air-defense weapons, adding a precision hard-kill layer rather than replacing missiles, guns or electronic warfare. Like other high-energy laser weapons, performance varies with atmospheric and line-of-sight conditions, while successful engagements depend on maintaining sufficient energy on a vulnerable part of the unmanned aircraft long enough to produce the required effect. These characteristics reinforce the value of a layered defense in which directed energy expands the Army's available engagement choices while conventional interceptors remain available when target characteristics or operational conditions favor kinetic weapons.

The $464.8 million award also represents an important industrial transition from prototype quantities toward sustained production. AeroVironment said the increase in manufacturing will be supported by a $30 million investment announced in March 2026 at its Albuquerque, New Mexico, facility, expanding the capacity needed to support the LOCUST family of directed-energy systems. Long-term Army fielding will also require trained operators, maintenance support, spare parts, software sustainment, electrical-generation equipment and thermal-management systems, making the production and support infrastructure an important part of turning E-HEL into an enduring operational capability.

The September 2 contract marks a significant step in the U.S. Army's effort to strengthen protection against increasingly numerous unmanned aircraft by moving high-energy laser technology into sustained procurement. With dozens of LOCUST X3 systems planned, multiple deployment configurations and a 30-kilowatt counter-UAS capability designed to complement existing electronic, gun and missile defenses, E-HEL could increase the endurance and flexibility of Army short-range air defense. Successful fielding would give commanders another precision means of defeating Group 1 through Group 3 drones while preserving other interceptors for threats requiring different defensive responses, establishing directed energy as a more permanent component of the Army's layered air-defense strategy.

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Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.