Mobile counter-drone laser delivered to U.S. Army for prototyping
NewsDecember 19, 2025
ARLINGTON, Virginia. AeroVironment delivered two Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV)-mounted mobile counter-uncrewed aerial system laser weapon systems to the U.S. Army under the second increment of the Army’s Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) prototyping effort, the company announced in a statement.
The systems were delivered to the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO), which the company says is now integrated into the Portfolio Acquisition Executive Fires. The second-increment configuration pairs AeroVironment’s 20-kilowatt-class LOCUST laser weapon system with an Oshkosh JLTV platform, and includes a larger aperture beam director compared with the first increment, the statement reads.
In September, the company announced delivery of the first increment of AMP-HEL prototypes--two LOCUST systems integrated on the General Motors Defense Infantry Squad Vehicle platform, according to the statement. AeroVironment says it previously delivered a LOCUST laser weapon system to RCCTO in 2022 under the Palletized-High Energy Laser program, and that the deployed systems have been used outside the United States for more than three years.
The company says the laser weapon systems are intended for force protection against uncrewed aerial system threats and can be integrated on fixed-site and vehicle-mounted platforms.
