Particle.news
Download on the App Store
14 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Army Awards First Production Contract for Laser Weapon to AeroVironment

The $464.8 million deal moves the LOCUST X3 from tests into multi‑year fielding and forces an industrial ramp to supply vehicle‑mountable counter‑drone lasers.

Interesting Engineering
The Army has awarded a $464.8 million contract to AeroVironment, Inc. for the LOCUST X3 laser system.
Image
Image

Overview

  • The Army awarded AeroVironment a $464.8 million other‑transaction agreement on Sept. 2 for the Enduring‑High Energy Laser program, marking the service’s first production buy of a high‑energy directed‑energy weapon.
  • Under the agreement AeroVironment will deliver multiple 30‑kilowatt LOCUST X3 systems over the next few years, with company statements saying “dozens” will be supplied and some reporting specifying 26 units over five years.
  • The LOCUST X3 is a platform‑agnostic, 30 kW beam‑combined laser built to defeat Group 1–3 unmanned aerial systems and to be mounted on vehicles such as the JLTV and evaluated for the Infantry Squad Vehicle.
  • AeroVironment has begun a manufacturing ramp that includes a previously announced $30 million expansion in Albuquerque to meet the Army’s requirement that production capacity exist before fielding.
  • The award follows successful demonstrations at White Sands and limited operational use along the U.S. border and signals a shift from prototypes to a layered, lower‑cost complement to missiles even though lasers remain limited by weather, line‑of‑sight, power and dwell‑time constraints.