The U.S. Army has taken delivery of its first mobile laser weapon systems built to counter unmanned aerial threats, defense contractor AeroVironment, Inc. (AV) announced this week.
According to the company, two prototype Laser Weapon Systems (LWS) were delivered to the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) under the Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) program, which is focused on developing high-energy laser systems for military use.
Each system mounts AeroVironment’s 20-kilowatt-class LOCUST laser on a General Motors Defense Infantry Squad Vehicle.
The time is now for #DirectedEnergy to get into the hands of warfighters everywhere. Today, we announced the milestone delivery of the first two mobile C-UAS prototype #LaserWeapon Systems to @usarmyrccto as part of the first increment of the AMP-HEL effort. Read More →… pic.twitter.com/Yn1pbZacIx
— AV (@aerovironment) September 3, 2025
The prototypes were assembled at AeroVironment’s directed energy facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and then tested at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. Army personnel later trained with the systems at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, according to AV.
“This milestone marks a major step forward in the Army’s pursuit of fieldable directed energy capabilities,” said Mary Clum, senior vice president of AeroVironment’s Space and Directed Energy Group. “Through the AMP-HEL program, AV is delivering our extensively validated LOCUST laser system–a technically sophisticated solution that has demonstrated reliability and operational readiness for the C-UAS fight.”
John Garrity, AV’s vice president of directed energy systems, said the urgency of deploying these weapons has grown. “The time is now for directed energy to get into the hands of warfighters everywhere and we are confident that LOCUST meets that need.”
The AMP-HEL effort is part of a broader Army initiative to field scalable directed-energy systems against aerial threats. Next month, the company is set to deliver the second increment of AMP-HEL–two Joint Light Tactical Vehicles with a 20kW class LOCUST LWS, radar, and command-and-control systems, according to AV.
