AeroVironment announced that it received the first international order for its LOCUST High-Energy Laser Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems for over $50 million and that it will supply a number of systems with support, which, according to the company, is “an enabling milestone in the international adoption of directed-energy air defence”. LOCUST combines sensors, tracking and laser defeat against group 1-3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems and other airborne targets. It can be implemented in a fixed, palletized, or mobile configuration and integrated with a wide range of available external sensors and command-and control networks.
A single shot with a LOCUST engagement could cost AeroVironment under $10. That alone presents a huge advantage for laser against cheap, widely produced drones, since air-defence missiles could end up costing much more than the drone. Additionally, there are no traditional interceptor reload limitations on laser weapons-though their performance will still vary by availability of power, conditions, range, and visibility and the world order is adopting AeroVironment’s choice in a $464.8 million contract with the U.S. Army for high-energy laser production, and has ordered over $30 million in new investments in their Albuquerque campus facility, in an environment increasingly calling for layered counter-drone defences.
