The U.S. Army is now testing the second gen vehicle-mounted LOCUST laser weapon system from AeroVironment (AV) Inc. It is hoped the new LOCUST Laser Weapon System (LWS) will be able to be rapidly deployed where required to protect soldiers and assets in a wide range of missions and environments where drones swarm in the skies. AV says that this updated LWS builds upon a system that has already seen over three years of operational use outside the U.S.
Laser weapons have a reputation for being bulky and heavy, thus hard to reposition where they are required. Earlier in 2025, AV worked with the U.S. Army to integrate its new mobile C-UAS Laser Weapon Systems (LWS) with the General Motors Defense Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) platform. However, at the end of the year, it announced that LOCUST would be added to the Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) platform. As a reminder, the Oshkosh is the U.S. Military’s modern replacement for the Humvee.
