AeroVironment has received the first international purchase order for its LOCUST laser weapon system.
The contract, valued at over $50m, covers the delivery of LOCUST systems and support to an undisclosed international customer, the company confirmed.
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The export order represents a new chapter for AeroVironment’s directed energy programme, arriving shortly after the firm was selected by the US Army for a $464.8m contract under the Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) initiative.
The Army’s contract represents the first-ever US production contract for high energy laser weapon systems.
AeroVironment president, chairman and CEO Wahid Nawabi said: “This first international order signals increasing global recognition that high energy laser weapon systems are essential to modern air defence.
“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.”
LOCUST is a high-energy laser weapon system designed to detect, track, and defeat Group 1-3 unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and other aerial threats.
The modular system is suitable for fixed, palletised, and mobile deployment, and can be integrated with various sensors and command-and-control networks.
According to AeroVironment, LOCUST can deliver counter-UAS engagements at a cost of less than $10 per shot and is not subject to the reload requirements of conventional air defence systems.
The system forms part of AeroVironment’s Halo Shield platform, a modular, layered air defence system that combines detection, surveillance, and directed energy defeat capabilities with other company products including the Titan C-UAS system and Freedom Eagle 1 missile.
Previously, the LOCUST system has been used in several notable demonstrations and operational tests in the US. These include the first confirmed use of a military laser against targets on the southern border, the interception of drones from the USS George H. W. Bush, and integration trials on Infantry Squad Vehicles and Joint Light Tactical Vehicles under the AMP-HEL initiative.
The system has also been featured in multiple live fire events at White Sands Missile Range attended by senior military officials, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who recently operated the system during a demonstration.
In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of War (DoW) have established a safety agreement, enabling the LOCUST system to be operated in US airspace following an FAA-led review of its domestic use.
To accommodate rising demand for directed energy systems, AeroVironment plans to invest more than $30m to expand its manufacturing facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The company expects the site to add over 450 jobs and boost its capacity for both US and international customers.
In March this year, AeroVironment released LOCUST X3, the third-generation version of its high-energy laser weapon system.
