Leonardo DRS has announced that AeroVironment (AV) has selected the company to provide rugged integration experience for the US Army’s Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) production program.
“The Army’s move to production reflects the growing importance of scalable, fieldable directed-energy capabilities in countering evolving UAS threats,” president and chief executive officer of Leonardo DRS, John Baylouny, said.
“DRS is proud to partner with AV and bring its integration expertise to its E-HEL production effort.”
DRS will apply its experience in power management, environmental control to enable the mobile high-energy laser system intended to counter unmanned aircraft system (UAS) threats.
In September 2026, the US Army announced its award to AV for the E-HEL program, describing it as the service’s first production contract for a high-energy laser weapon system. The Army said E-HEL is intended to give soldiers a scalable, affordable directed-energy system that strengthens C-UAS operations.
DRS’ subcontract supports AV’s production of Locust X3 laser weapon systems under the Army’s E-HEL program. AV’s 30-kilowatt, platform-agnostic Locust X3 is designed for integration across a range of military platforms, including the Army’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, with palletised configuration options also available.
“Evolving drone threats demand systems that deliver reliable performance in demanding operational environments,” Leonardo DRS Land Systems, vice president and general manager, Aaron Hankins, said.
“Our team is applying experience in vehicle integration, power and thermal management to help AV deliver a mobile high-energy laser capability for the US Army.”
The work builds on DRS’ previous directed-energy integration experience, including a rapid-prototyping effort in partnership with AV and other industry partners to develop a mobile counter-UAS directed-energy capability integrated into an armoured vehicle.
In that effort, DRS provided vehicle-integration, power, thermal-management and systems-engineering experience for US Government live-fire evaluations and training in 2024 and 2025.