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AeroVironment announced on March 24, 2026, the third generation of its anti-drone laser system, the LOCUST X3, with scalable power from 20 to 35 kilowatts and an engagement cost below $5 per shot. According to an AeroVironment statement, the new system combines for the first time onboard AI-targeting with modular plug-and-play architecture to defeat drone swarms in a tidal wave. The presentation takes place a month before the U.S. Navy publicly confirms a historic test conducted in October 2025 aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, moving the prototype program to operational arsenal.
The technical leap targets a specific adversary: the Iranian drone Shahed-136, which costs between $20,000 and $40,000 per unit and was used en masse in the Red Sea crises and Ukraine. According to The War Zone, the average cost to shoot down a Shahed with traditional missiles exceeds $2 million per shot.
Why October 2025 changes the naval game
In October 2025, the LOCUST Palletized High Energy Laser (P-HEL) system was installed in a containerized configuration on the flight deck of the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77). The tests neutralized multiple unmanned aerial vehicles in a single sequence, according to Naval Today.
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The test was conducted in partnership between the US Navy and the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO). According to AeroVironment, the public announcement came only on April 21, 2026.
The demonstration cycle showed that the system can be disembarked in hours. Engineers describe the operation as roll-on/roll-off, with recharging via internal batteries or direct ship power. Cross-platform: land vehicles, surface vessels, and aircraft carrier decks.
The program has precedent in hardware with hundreds of previous deployments. AeroVironment cites the AMP-HEL (Army Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser) and PHEL (Palletized High Energy Laser) initiatives as test beds for the same blueprint that originated the LOCUST X3.
How Beijing views an arsenal at $5 per shot
Beijing monitors the development because the cost-effectiveness calculation reverses the logic that sustains modern drone swarms. According to an analysis by the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC), the use of Standard Missile-2 missiles at $2.1 million to shoot down $2,000 Houthi drones made conventional defense economically unsustainable during the Red Sea crisis between 2024 and 2025.
According to Military Times, the LOCUST X3 changes this equation by bringing the cost of firing to less than $5. In a scenario of 50 drones en masse, the difference is $250 versus $105 million.
The technical reveal: AV_Halo PINPOINT replaces operator with algorithm
Inside, the LOCUST X3 debuts the AV_Halo PINPOINT software, an AI platform that takes over automated detection, tracking, and engagement. Instead of human operators identifying each target, the system simultaneously processes dozens of tracks and prioritizes engagements by threat level. AeroVironment engineers describe the architecture as MOSA, an acronym for Modular Open Systems Approach, a standard of the US Department of War.
The optical director is modular. The platform accepts low-power configurations up to 30+ kW without changing the chassis. Mature commercial components lower production costs at scale. The LOCUST X3 covers Group 1 to 3 targets, a category that includes tactical quadcopters, long-endurance drones, and unmanned surface vehicles.
Compatible tactical platforms include the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), fixed installations, and naval decks. AeroVironment promises integration with existing radars and C2 systems in NATO fleets, avoiding structural reforms on ships.
History: 2017, El Paso and the first spark
The original LOCUST entered testing in 2017 with 20 kW. According to The War Zone, one of the first demonstrations temporarily closed airspace in El Paso, Texas, in 2023. The X3 generation comes after AeroVironment absorbed technology derived from the $95.4 million contract signed by BlueHalo with the US Army’s SMDC.
Previous cycles delivered units to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the Navy’s own ships. Public documentation lists hundreds of prior deployments — around 80 operational units in 9 countries between 2018 and 2025.
The human reveal: Nawabi, Clum, and Caudle
Wahid Nawabi, CEO of AeroVironment, stated on March 24, 2026, that the LOCUST X3 delivers an affordable and scalable solution to neutralize large-scale aerial threats. Mary Clum, president of AeroVironment’s Space, Cyber & Directed Energy segment, stated that the system transforms the response to mass drone attacks, as reported by DefenseScoop.
On the Navy side, Admiral Daryl Caudle, commander of the US Fleet Forces Command, stated in February 2026 that the future Golden Fleet will be sustained by directed energy weapons. Caudle called for accelerated production contracts and cited LOCUST among the three critical technologies.
John Garrity, vice president of Directed Energy Systems at AeroVironment, described the system as capable of delivering protection across all domains at the speed of light, on any platform. Garrity oversaw the integration of the P-HEL on the USS Bush in October 2025.
The international context: BlueHalo, Lockheed, and competitors
The directed energy weapons market is experiencing an accelerated race. BlueHalo received a $95.4 million contract in January 2026 with the SMDC to develop high-energy lasers in conjunction with the US Army. Lockheed Martin operates the 60-kilowatt HELIOS on the Arleigh Burke Flight IIA class destroyer USS Preble. According to the IMARC Group, the global market is expected to grow from $9.3 billion in 2024 to $21.4 billion in 2030, with an average annual growth of 14.8%.
Comparison among the three main systems in partial or full operation in the US Navy in 2026:
- LOCUST X3 (AeroVironment): 20-35 kW scalable, cost < $5 per shot, AI-targeting AV_Halo PINPOINT, JLTV/ISV/naval platform, targets Group 1-3 UAS.
- HELIOS (Lockheed Martin): 60 kW, integrated with AEGIS radar, deployed on the USS Preble destroyer (Arleigh Burke Flight IIA), shot down a swarm of 4 drones in a Pacific demonstration.
- ODIN (Northrop Grumman): low kW, focuses on blinding enemy drone optical sensors, installed on seven destroyers between 2020 and 2025.
The future reveal: contracts, Iran, and the 2027 window
AeroVironment expects the first operational deliveries of the LOCUST X3 between the second half of 2026 and early 2027. Production will be in partnership with Anduril, which will coordinate integration with the Lattice OS, an autonomous command-and-control system distributed among American forces. The Pentagon requested in April 2026 that the Strategic Command (STRATCOM) evaluate the operational use of the laser in fleets near the Strait of Hormuz, should the Iranian regime of Ali Khamenei intensify the use of Shahed-136 against tankers.
The HESA Shahed-136 operates with a range of 2,500 kilometers, a 50-kilogram warhead, and speeds of up to 185 km/h. The drone was exported to Russia and used against Ukrainian urban targets in quantities exceeding 6,000 units fired between 2022 and 2025, according to a survey by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank.
The schedule is tight. Even so, the LOCUST X3 arrives at a time when the US Department of War is preparing the 2027 budget with $1.2 billion dedicated to directed energy systems, double the amount of 2024. AeroVironment confirmed that the first batch of operational units will be delivered by January 2027 with priority for the 7th Fleet in the Pacific, directly facing Chinese naval expansion in the South Sea.
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