US Army Targets 2028 for First Laser Drone Defense

TL;DR: The Army says the first Enduring-High Energy Laser counter-drone weapon could be out of testing and ready for operations by early 2028, according to Defense News. It follows a $464.8 million September award to AeroVironment for LOCUST X3. The first unit is slated for delivery by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2027.

What did the Army actually say?

Army officials told Military Times at the Association of the U.S. Army's annual meeting in Washington that the Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) program could clear testing by early 2028, Defense News reported on October 13. That is a target, not a delivery. The same account puts the outer bound at spring 2028, with a December-January finish as the hope.

The hardware is LOCUST X3, AeroVironment's modular, palletized laser. Defense News says the first one is due by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2027, mounted on a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. Between that first delivery and the words "ready for operations" sits a stretch of testing, and testing is exactly where schedules slip, budgets stretch and promises made at conferences get quietly revised.

How big is the contract behind it?

AeroVironment announced on September 2 that the Army's Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Fires had awarded it a $464.8 million Other Transaction Agreement for E-HEL. UASFeed, which tracked the paperwork, says the company describes the system as a 30-kilowatt laser meant to defeat Group 1 through Group 3 drones. It also reports that the Army has not published its own statement that it could read, so the company's press release and SEC filing are the main record for now.

The unit count is where the sources split. AeroVironment's John Garrity said the contract covers more than 26 laser weapons units, per Defense News. A contract-tracking site called Govly describes up to 20 units of a 20-kilowatt system at an estimated value of at least $400 million. I'd trust the company's own figures and Defense News over an aggregator. Still, I'm flagging the gap because a unit count changes what $464.8 million buys.

Item	What the sources say	Who says it
Award value	$464.8 million	AeroVironment, via UASFeed
Vehicle	Other Transaction Agreement	AeroVironment, via UASFeed
Units	More than 26	AeroVironment's John Garrity, via Defense News
First delivery	Q4 of fiscal 2027	Defense News
Ready for operations	Early 2028 target	Army officials, via Defense News

Why would a drone-defense laser matter to an investor?

Because the Army is paying to move from prototypes to production. AeroVironment's own investor presentation, filed with the SEC on September 9, lists the award as "$464M" and calls it the first-ever directed energy production contract, according to UASFeed. Downside first: a production contract at least creates a supplier base and a delivery schedule you can hold people to, which a research grant never does.

The vendor is also spending before the weapon is fielded. AeroVironment's $30 million investment in its Albuquerque facility, announced in March 2026 according to Aerospace Defence Middle East Magazine, is meant to support the production ramp. The cash goes out first. The revenue depends on testing going well, on the Army keeping its schedule, and on the production ramp holding up once the first units reach soldiers.

Demand looks real, and it cuts both ways. Kirk Williams, chief engineer at the U.S. Army, told Military Times, as reported by Defense News, "We would love to be able to keep the first unit off the line for our testing and training. However, what we've seen is, with the environment as it is, everything that we produce as a capable counter-UAS system tends to get deployed somewhere." That is a good problem for a vendor and a headache for the Army, which wanted to keep the first unit for training.

Here is my takeaway for anyone who holds private exposure rather than public stock. I can't tell you which private suppliers sit downstream of this contract, and anyone who claims to should show you the paperwork. If a sponsor pitches you a defense-tech round or a secondary on this news, ask which line of the work their company touches, and ask for it in writing. For how I read a large private check into a hard-tech theme, see my piece on Thea Energy's $100M fusion bet.

I covered the money side of this theme last week. The Army's $4.15 billion counter-drone awards were a hunting license, with only about $50 million actually committed. Read the Pentagon task force announcement with the same question in mind: how much of the headline is funded?

What goes wrong with defense-contract headlines?

The common mistake is treating a ceiling or a target as revenue. A contract value is not cash received, and "by early 2028" is not a fielding date. When I signed off on submarine work packages, "scheduled" and "verified" were different words with different consequences. Defense press releases blur them constantly.

A second mistake is buying the theme through whoever is loudest. A laser that works in a test still has to survive dust, rain and soldiers who didn't build it. Ask what a filing says is obligated, what is backlog, and what is only a plan.

Third, don't treat one number as settled. The unit count differs between sources, and the Army hasn't published its own statement. Until it does, hold every figure loosely.

FAQ

Who is building the laser?

AeroVironment builds LOCUST X3, the modular, palletized system the Army selected for E-HEL, according to Defense News.

Has the Army published its own announcement of the award?

Not one that UASFeed could read. It says AeroVironment's press release and SEC filing are the main documentary record of the award for now.

How many laser units does the contract cover?

AeroVironment's John Garrity said more than 26 units, per Defense News. A contract-tracking site, Govly, lists up to 20. The company and Defense News are the stronger sources, but the discrepancy is unresolved.

What drones can LOCUST X3 defeat?

AeroVironment describes it as a 30-kilowatt, platform-agnostic laser meant to defeat Group 1 through Group 3 unmanned aircraft systems, according to UASFeed's reading of the company's announcement.

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