The first high-energy laser production contract - and what comes next
Published September 14, 2026 / U.S. high-energy-laser supplier analysis
The U.S. Army has awarded AeroVironment $464.8 million to move the Enduring High Energy Laser, or E-HEL, program into production.
The agreement covers dozens of LOCUST X3 systems over the next several years. It is the first U.S. military production contract for a high-energy laser weapon.
The award creates a production pathway for one class of laser weapon. It also raises a wider question: which supplier capabilities can move with the market as military laser power and production volumes increase?
E-HEL production contract
LOCUST X3 systems covered
LOCUST X3 power class
AeroVironment Albuquerque investment
Moving LOCUST X3 into production
LOCUST X3 is a modular 20-35+ kilowatt system designed primarily to defeat Group 1-3 drones. AeroVironment is investing $30 million in its Albuquerque facility to support the production ramp.
E-HEL is the first move into production, but it is only one part of the emerging market. Lockheed Martin and nLIGHT are also developing 150-kilowatt Joint Laser Weapon System prototypes, with later versions expected to reach 300-500 kilowatts for more demanding targets.
Low-cost counter-drone missions now have a U.S. production pathway for a high-energy laser weapon.
Higher-power systems will place different demands on laser sources, precision optics, beam control, cooling, power and supporting electronics.
A market developing across several power classes
Current production and development pathways
LOCUST X3
Modular E-HEL system focused primarily on Group 1-3 drones.
JLWS prototypes
Lockheed Martin and nLIGHT prototype pathways for a higher-power weapon class.
Later JLWS versions
Planned power classes intended for more demanding target sets.
The industrial base built through earlier laser work
Mimir-mapped first-tier subcontract records, FY2021-FY2025
Much of the relevant supplier capability has been developed through earlier research, testing and demonstration programs.
Mimir's FY2021-FY2025 data identifies 105 first-tier supplier sites across 13 prime awards explicitly described as high-energy-laser work, representing approximately $49.7 million in mapped subcontract obligations.
first-tier supplier sites
prime awards explicitly describing HEL work
mapped subcontract obligations
Selected positions in prior high-energy-laser work
Optimax Systems
~$10MPrecision optics and high-energy-laser component manufacturing
nLIGHT
~$5.3MLaser-source development
Leonardo DRS
~$4.1MAdvanced high-energy-laser technology
MZA Associates
~$2.7MBeam-transfer and beam-control systems
Coherent
$2.8MA separate ADET-SMDC development record shows an award for a "10-channel KWIC system" under BlueHalo's advanced directed-energy work.
What comes next
E-HEL establishes a production pathway for one class of laser weapon. Further opportunities are likely to emerge as the military moves from 20-35 kilowatt counter-drone systems toward higher-power weapons intended for larger and faster threats.
The question is shifting from whether high-energy lasers can work to which systems - and which supplier teams - can be produced in meaningful numbers.
U.S. Army E-HEL production award, AeroVironment LOCUST award and production investment, LOCUST X3 system information, Joint Laser Weapon System development, USAspending, FPDS and Mimir Data Platform and Modeling.
Mimir analysis of positive, adjusted first-tier subcontract records, FY2021-FY2025. The 105-site total covers awards whose prime descriptions explicitly identify high-energy-laser work. Supplier sites are distinct CAGE codes. Values are rounded and do not represent total company revenue or a confirmed E-HEL production supplier list. The Coherent example is drawn separately from BlueHalo's ADET-SMDC development order.