Middle East buyer orders $405 million in U.S.-made LOCUST lasers

AeroVironment has won a $405 million order for its LOCUST X3 anti-drone lasers from an unnamed customer in the Middle East, the Virginia-based company said Wednesday.

The company, which goes by AV, called the deal an “international direct commercial sales order” in a release. That means AV negotiated it directly with the foreign buyer, instead of going through the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales program. AV didn’t name the country, say how many lasers the order covers or give a delivery schedule.

“Our customers need proven defenses they can field rapidly and sustain over time,” Wahid Nawabi, AV’s chairman, president and chief executive, said in the release.

The LOCUST X3 is a 30-kilowatt laser built to shoot down drones. Per the release, it targets “Group 1 to 3 unmanned aircraft systems,” a U.S. military category that runs from small quadcopters up to drones weighing about 600 kg (1,320 pounds).

The company named one threat directly: “Shahed-series one-way attack drones,” which it said have hit energy facilities, airports and military sites across the region. The release added that such drones “can be launched in large numbers.”

Missile interceptors can cost “hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars per engagement,” the company said, while the laser has “a deep magazine limited primarily by available power and thermal management.” AV has said each LOCUST shot costs less than $10. The new release didn’t give a per-shot figure.

“This landmark award reflects growing recognition that directed energy is essential to modern layered air defense,” Nawabi said.

AV also plans to set up an “in-country maintenance and sustainment depot” for repairs, training and technical support, according to the release. It didn’t say when or where the depot will open.

This is the second international LOCUST sale AV has announced. In September, the company landed its first foreign buyer in a deal worth more than $50 million, again without naming the country. AV hasn’t said whether the two orders came from the same customer.

That same month, the U.S. Army awarded AV $464.8 million under its Enduring High Energy Laser program, the service’s first production contract for a laser weapon. AV will deliver 26 LOCUST X3 systems over five years under that deal, Laser Wars reported.

AV got the LOCUST line when it bought BlueHalo in 2025. Earlier 20-kilowatt versions have been mounted on Joint Light Tactical Vehicles for the U.S. Army. The U.S. Navy also tested one aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) in October 2025, when it shot down multiple drones.

“LOCUST X3 changes the economics of defeating drones while preserving traditional interceptors for higher-end threats,” Nawabi said.