U.S. Army Receives First Mobile Laser Weapon Systems from AeroVironment
The U.S. Army has taken delivery of its first mobile laser weapon systems from defense technology firm AeroVironment. The company reported that two prototype Laser Weapon Systems (LWS) were handed over to the Army’s Rapid Capabilities Office under the Army’s Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) program. Each system mounts AeroVironment’s 20kW-class LOCUST laser on a lightweight Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) platform. This combination creates a mobile counter-drone weapon designed to give front-line units a fast, maneuverable way to spot and destroy small unmanned aircraft before they threaten troops.
LOCUST laser is a high-energy directed energy weapon engineered to defeat small drones quickly and precisely. It can neutralize Class I and II unmanned aerial systems with precision and speed. This gives infantry squads an organic anti-drone capability, without relying on larger fixed air-defense sites.
AeroVironment reports that after assembly in New Mexico the two laser-equipped vehicles were tested at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, to verify performance, mobility, safety and lethality. They were then sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, so that soldiers could undergo training on new equipment. Army and company officials say this field training using the laser systems under realistic conditions will inform final refinements before wider fielding.
Company executives hailed the delivery as a milestone. Mary Clum, AV’s Senior Vice President for Space and Directed Energy, said, “The handoff marks a major step forward in the Army’s pursuit of fieldable directed energy capabilities.” John Garrity, AV’s Vice President of Directed Energy Systems, added that recent conflicts show “the time is now for directed energy to get into the hands of warfighters everywhere,” and he noted that the company is ready to ramp up full-scale production of LOCUST laser systems to meet demand.
This first delivery of mobile laser weapons is part of a broader Army push to field advanced directed-energy counter-drone technology. The AMP-HEL program is a key piece of the Army’s modernization strategy to deploy scalable high-energy laser systems against a range of aerial threats. Mounted on light vehicles, these lasers create a new “layered” defense: a direct-fire, non-kinetic counter-drone capability that can move with infantry units. AeroVironment states it will deliver two more 20kW LOCUST laser systems on Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) later this fall. The arrival of these mobile laser weapon systems shows how advanced defense technology and directed-energy weapons are moving from the lab into the field, giving U.S. troops a powerful new tool against drone threats.