AV Secures First International Order for LOCUST® Directed Energy Counter‑Drone Systems

AeroVironment’s first international LOCUST order and prior U.S. Army contract underscore growing demand for its directed energy counter-drone systems.

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Operationally proven laser weapon system receives first international purchase order valued at more than $50 million, highlighting growing global demand for scaled directed energy defense for counter-UAS missions.

ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AeroVironment, Inc. (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV) today announced it has received its first international purchase order for the LOCUST® Laser Weapon System. The landmark, first of its kind direct commercial sale (DCS) order, valued at more than $50 million, marks a significant milestone in the global adoption of AV’s directed energy counter‑drone capabilities.

The purchase order covers an initial delivery of AV’s mission‑proven LOCUST systems and associated support. The award follows AV's recent selection by the U.S. Army for a $464.8 million Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) contract, representing the first-ever production contract for high energy laser weapon systems in United States history.

“This first international order signals increasing global recognition that high‑energy laser weapon systems are essential to modern air defense,” said Wahid Nawabi, President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at AV. “The threat from low-cost drones is global and has fundamentally changed the economics of warfare. LOCUST gives our customers an affordable, scalable way to defeat drone threats at scale without relying solely on expensive interceptors.”

“This first international order for LOCUST is a pivotal milestone in our directed energy roadmap,” said Mary Clum, President of Space, Cyber, and Directed Energy at AV. “We are not only accelerating the fielding of an operationally proven laser weapon system, we are also establishing a foundation for sustained and expanded international adoption to provide layered innovation in counter‑drone defense.”

To support the growing demand for LOCUST, AV recently announced it is investing more than $30 million to expand its Albuquerque, New Mexico manufacturing campus, creating a vertically integrated production hub to scale domestic and international production of directed energy, space, and advanced defense technologies while also adding more than 450 jobs and generating over $670 million in economic impact.

In addition to this latest international award, LOCUST has helped drive first‑of‑their‑kind milestones for U.S. directed energy, from achieving the military’s first acknowledged laser kills on the southern border and defeating multiple drones from the deck of the USS George H. W. Bush, to successful integrations on Infantry Squad Vehicles and Joint Light Tactical Vehicles under the AMP‑HEL initiative and multiple high‑profile live‑fire events at White Sands Missile Range observed by military and defense leaders, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth who recently operated the system at White Sands.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of War have also signed a landmark safety agreement creating a pathway for LOCUST to operate safely in U.S. airspace, following FAA review of the system’s domestic deployment.

These achievements firmly establish LOCUST as one of the most operationally proven laser weapon systems in the American arsenal.

MORE ON LOCUST

LOCUST is an operationally proven high-energy laser weapon system that combines advanced sensing, tracking and directed-energy defeat capabilities against Group 1-3 unmanned aircraft systems and other aerial threats. The modular system supports fixed-site, palletized and mobile deployment and can integrate with multiple cueing sensors and command-and-control (C2) networks.

Recently featured on CBS News’ 60 Minutes, the operationally‑proven LOCUST laser weapon system delivers engagements for less than $10 per shot and provides sustained defense unconstrained by the reload limitations of traditional air defense systems, offering a truly transformative solution for modern air defense.

LOCUST serves as a central piece of AV’s Halo_Shield™ modular layered air defense platform, providing best‑in‑breed detection, surveillance, and directed energy defeat capability alongside AV’s Titan® C‑UAS system and Freedom Eagle™‑1 next‑generation missile. Halo_Shield is an interoperable, distributed, and layered system that detects, tracks, and defeats drones, swarms, and other evolving aerial threats.

About AV

AeroVironment (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV) is a defense technology leader delivering integrated capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. The Company develops and deploys autonomous systems, loitering munitions, counter‑UAS technologies, space‑based platforms, directed energy systems, and cyber and electronic warfare capabilities—built to meet the mission needs of today’s warfighter and tomorrow’s conflicts. At the core of these technologies lies AV_Halo™, a modular, mission‑ready suite of AI‑powered software tools that empowers warfighters and enables full‑battlefield dominance: detect, decide, deliver. With a national manufacturing footprint and a deep innovation pipeline, AV delivers proven systems and future‑defining capabilities at speed, scale, and operational relevance. For more information, visit www.avinc.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements in this press release may constitute “forward‑looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to, our ability to perform under existing contracts and obtain new ones; regulatory changes; competitor activities; market growth; product development challenges; and general economic conditions. For a more detailed discussion of these risks, please refer to AeroVironment’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to update forward‑looking statements as a result of new information or future events.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260908106462/en/

Media Contact:
Deb Richardson
pr@avinc.com
667-356-1377

Investor Contact:
Denise Pacioni
ir@avinc.com
805.795.4108

Source: AeroVironment, Inc.

Key Terms

counter-uas technical

Counter-UAS (counter-unmanned aircraft systems) are tools and tactics used to detect, track, and disable or divert drones that pose a threat to people, property, or operations. Think of them as a combination of a security camera, alarm system, and net that can find an unwanted flying device and stop it before it causes harm. Investors care because demand, regulation, and deployment of these systems affect revenue, contract opportunities, legal risk, and the valuation of companies that build or use them.

directed energy technical

Directed energy describes weapons or tools that send concentrated beams of energy—such as lasers, microwaves, or particle streams—toward a target to heat, disable, or disrupt it rather than using conventional projectiles. Like using a magnifying glass to focus sunlight on a single spot, these systems can deliver effects at speed and with precision. Investors watch directed energy because it drives defense and high-tech spending, influences regulatory and export rules, and carries long development timelines and maintenance costs that affect company value.

command-and-control (c2) technical

Command-and-control (C2) refers to a system where authority is centralized, and instructions flow from a single source to manage operations or activities. In a financial context, it describes situations where decision-making is tightly controlled by a few leaders or governing bodies, leaving little room for independent action. For investors, understanding C2 arrangements helps assess how quickly and effectively a company or organization can respond to changes or challenges.