AeroVironment Lands LOCUST Laser Order Worth Over $50 Million

AeroVironment, Inc. (AVAV ) (AV) said on September 8, 2026, that it has received its first international purchase order for the LOCUST Laser Weapon System, a direct commercial sale valued at more than $50 million. The company’s announcement described the order as a first-of-its-kind transaction covering an initial delivery of LOCUST systems and associated support. The customer was not identified in the release.

AV characterized the award as a milestone in the international adoption of its directed energy counter-drone capabilities.

“This first international order signals increasing global recognition that high-energy laser weapon systems are essential to modern air defense,” said Wahid Nawabi, President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at AV. “The threat from low-cost drones is global and has fundamentally changed the economics of warfare. LOCUST gives our customers an affordable, scalable way to defeat drone threats at scale without relying solely on expensive interceptors.”

Mary Clum, President of Space, Cyber, and Directed Energy at AV, called the order a pivotal milestone in the company’s directed energy roadmap. Clum said AV is accelerating the fielding of the laser weapon system while establishing a foundation for sustained and expanded international adoption.

Follows Army Production Contract

The international order follows AV’s September 2, 2026, selection by the U.S. Army for a $464.8 million contract under the Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) program. AV said that award, issued through an Other Transaction Agreement by the Army’s Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Fires program office, is the first production contract for high energy laser weapon systems in U.S. history.

Under the E-HEL agreement, AV will deliver dozens of LOCUST X3 laser weapon systems over the next several years in support of multi-year fielding requirements. The LOCUST X3 is a 30-kilowatt, platform-agnostic system that the Army plans to integrate on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, with options for palletized configurations and potential integration on an Infantry Squad Vehicle. AV will also provide ongoing system support and training under the program. The E-HEL effort builds on the Army Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser prototypes currently in Army use and follows LOCUST testing at White Sands Missile Range led by Joint Interagency Task Force 401 and the PAE Fires office.

Production Expansion and Domestic Operations

To support demand for LOCUST, AV announced in March 2026 that it plans to invest more than $30 million to expand its manufacturing operations in Albuquerque, New Mexico. According to the company’s March 3, 2026, announcement, the project is supported by an initial $5 million from the State of New Mexico and $1 million from the City of Albuquerque through the Local Economic Development Act, structured as cash reimbursements tied to verified hiring milestones. AV said the investment spans its three existing manufacturing sites in the Sandia Science & Technology Park, will create more than 450 jobs, and is expected to generate more than $670 million in economic impact over ten years. The company said it employs more than 400 people in New Mexico, where its Space & Directed Energy Group is anchored.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of War completed a safety assessment of the high-energy laser counter-drone system, the FAA said on April 10, 2026, validating that proper safety controls are in place and that the systems do not pose undue risk to passenger aircraft. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency determined, following a data-informed safety risk assessment conducted after observing demonstrations of the system, that it does not present an increased risk to the flying public. The Department of War will continue to coordinate with the FAA on the system’s employment in domestic airspace.

AV’s release also cited operational milestones for the system, including the military’s first acknowledged laser kills on the southern border, counter-drone engagements from the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush, integrations on Infantry Squad Vehicles and Joint Light Tactical Vehicles under the AMP-HEL initiative, and live-fire events at White Sands Missile Range.

System Details

LOCUST is a high-energy laser weapon system combining sensing, tracking, and directed-energy defeat capabilities against Group 1 through Group 3 unmanned aircraft systems and other aerial threats. The modular system supports fixed-site, palletized, and mobile deployment and can integrate with multiple cueing sensors and command-and-control networks. AV states the system delivers engagements for less than $10 per shot.

LOCUST serves as the directed-energy effector within AV’s HaloShield modular layered air defense platform, which also incorporates the company’s Titan counter-UAS system and Freedom Eagle-1 missile. The HaloShield architecture is designed to detect, track, and defeat drones, swarms, and other aerial threats, according to the company.