The Laser Commitment: The Army's First Production Contract for a High-Energy Laser Weapon System

The Army describes the award as its first production contract for a high energy laser weapon system, per its 2 September release; Breaking Defense calls it the first-ever laser production contract. The value, $464.8 million, comes from AeroVironment's announcement, which attributes it to the Army's Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Fires.

AeroVironment told Breaking Defense the LOCUST family has a kill count in the thousands on test ranges, that it is now capable of scaling into the 20s of systems per year, and that it will scale well beyond that in the coming 12 to 18 to 24 months. AeroVironment says a $30 million investment in its Albuquerque facility was announced in March 2026.

DefenseScoop puts the engagement cost at under $5 per shot. Army Recognition notes that performance varies with atmospheric and line-of-sight conditions, and that a successful engagement depends on keeping enough energy on a vulnerable part of the aircraft for long enough to produce the effect.

The diodes that fire the beam start with gallium, terbium, dysprosium and neodymium, and China has restricted 12 critical minerals from US access, per a 4 September 2026 247 Wall St analysis by Jeremy Phillips. The same piece notes that Lockheed Martin listed rare-earth mineral availability as a second-quarter risk.

AeroVironment's $30 million investment is in its own Albuquerque facility, per the company. Reading: the stated production ramp is exposed to the reported mineral-access risk.

In mid-February 2026, Customs and Border Protection used a laser on loan from the Pentagon and erroneously shot down an object near El Paso, causing the FAA to shut airspace in the area temporarily. Weeks later, troops assigned to the southern border task force shot down a CBP drone near Fort Hancock that CBP had launched without notifying the military, causing a second airspace incident. Lawmakers criticised the lack of coordination; after a test, officials signed a joint-agency agreement calling the systems safe. All per DefenseScoop.

AeroVironment's Garrity told DefenseScoop the weapon can connect to Anduril's Lattice, a component of the Army's Next Generation Command and Control prototype. The company's product page says its AV_Halo Pinpoint fire control software keeps energy on manoeuvring targets and that AI-enabled detection, tracking and engagement automation speed up response.

Reading: integration at the data layer shortens the path from sensor to shot. It does not by itself create the interagency notification that the Fort Hancock incident lacked.