Ukraine, Russia and Iran They have demonstrated in their current conflicts that low-cost kamikaze drones, in large volumes, are very effective. USA It has also been looking for economic solutions against this type of weaponry, such as laser weapons, for some time. Now, the American company AeroVironment (AV) has presented the LOCUST X3the third generation of his directed energy systemwhich destroys drones at the speed of light for less than 5 dollars a shot.
X3 is the most advanced version of the platform LOCUST. While the original LOCUST used a laser 20 kilowattsthe X3 offers between 20 and more than 35 kilowattswith a wider beam aperture to increase range.
It is designed to attack unmanned aerial systems of the groups 1 to 3as classified by the US Army, including small commercial quadcopters and fixed-wing drones up to 600 kilos of weightas well as unmanned surface vessels.
Based on soldiers’ experience
AV has developed X3 based on the experience accumulated on the battlefields in recent years. Aaron Westmansenior director of business development at AV, noted in an interview with Breaking Defense that The new variant is based on direct feedback collected from soldiers.
The system was specifically designed with saturation threats in mind such as Shahed-136 Iranians and Geran-2 Russian, cheap drones to manufacture and difficult to counter economically efficiently with traditional interceptor missiles.
The cost difference is key to the appeal of the X3 platform. A single interceptor Patriot costs about 3 million dollarsand a AIM-9X Sidewinder round the $400,000. In front of a Shahed drone $20,000those figures do not add up to a large-scale defense. Westman says that in addition to the low cost of $5 per shot, X3 allows for sustained defense without the reloading limitations of traditional defensive systems.
This is how LOCUST X3 works
LOCUST X3 uses proprietary fire control software AV_Halo PINPOINT AV for automate detection, tracking and targetingwhich reduces the operator’s workload. The system acquires a moving aerial target and keeps energy focused on it for a short period. In general, It takes five to seven seconds of beam exposure to destroy a drone.
The system uses a command architecture with multiple validationwhich requires several internal checks before firing, including a safeguard that prevents laser discharge if a civil aircraft overlaps the beam path. This also has a defined focal point after which it rapidly loses intensity, which reduces the risk of continuing to transmit energy outside the intended area.
X3 presents a modular and open architecture design which follows the modular open systems approach of the Department of Defense. This means it can be installed on many types of vehicles and fixed platforms, including Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, e Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), infantry squad vehicle, which have already used previous LOCUST systems.
US Army Candidate
The presentation of the LOCUST X3 takes place in view of an upcoming important award. The program Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL) of the US Army plans to make the decision in the third quarter of 2026with an initial demand of 24 systems.
AeroVironment now has delivered four LOCUST systems to the Armytwo mounted on ISV and two in JLTVthrough the prototyping program AMP-HEL (Army Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser, an initiative with which the Army evaluates high energy lasers for mobile defense against drones), which makes her one of the main candidates. The company is also participating in the Army’s broader AMP-HEL prototype program and competing alongside other directed energy companies.
Westman acknowledges that not yet tested as a fully integrated systembut confirm that all subsystems have been individually validated and that full testing of the system is expected to arrive in the coming months.