US Army to buy at least $400 million of counter-drone lasers

The US Army plans to purchase at least $400 million worth of counter-drone laser systems from AeroVironment, as militaries seek new ways to defend against the growing use of unmanned systems on modern battlefields, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

The contract with the Arlington, Virginia-based defence company is expected to provide the Army with dozens of its Locust systems, the source said.

The deal would mark the Pentagon’s first production contract for a directed-energy counter-drone system to move beyond the prototype stage.

The planned purchase follows a Pentagon demonstration in New Mexico in June, where senior US defence officials tested laser and microwave weapons.

According to Axios, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Pentagon Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael attended the demonstration, which marked the first time such systems had been tested at the highest level of the Pentagon.

Officials reportedly tested AeroVironment’s 20-kilowatt LOCUST mobile directed-energy system during the demonstration.

By Sabina Mammadli