High-energy laser systems that engage with threats delivered to US Army

AeroVironment, a Virginia-based company, has delivered two prototype units of its 20kW LOCUST Laser Weapon System (LWS) to the U.S. Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO). These Army Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) systems, integrated onto General Motors Defense Infantry Squad Vehicles (ISVs), are designed to identify, track, and engage a variety of threats, particularly countering unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS). The prototypes underwent rigorous government acceptance testing at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, to validate their performance, mobility, safety, and lethality, followed by soldier training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, with feedback guiding ongoing enhancements. The AMP-HEL program represents a significant advancement in mobile, frontline directed energy capabilities, supporting the Army’s broader modernization efforts to rapidly field scalable, adaptable, and expeditionary force protection solutions. AeroVironment emphasized its commitment to full-scale manufacturing of LOC