AV Delivers JLTV-Mounted LOCUST Laser Weapon Systems to U.S. Army

ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 18, 2025--

AeroVironment, Inc. (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV), a leading provider of counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) technologies, today announced the successful delivery of two Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV)-mounted mobile C-UAS Laser Weapon Systems (LWS) to the U.S. Army as part of the second increment of the Army Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) prototyping effort. These systems were delivered to the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO), now integrated into the Portfolio Acquisition Executive Fires, reflecting the Army’s ongoing transformation and acquisition reform efforts.

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In September, AV announced delivery of the first increment of AMP-HEL prototype systems–two LOCUST LWS integrated on the General Motors Defense Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) platform. This second-increment system on the Oshkosh JLTV platform features the same 20kW-class LOCUST LWS with a larger aperture beam director, improving lethality performance.

“AV continues to deliver proven, efficient, modular laser weapon systems that perform and protect in real-world threat environments,” said Mary Clum, President, Space, Cyber & Directed Energy for AV. “Integrated as part of these AMP-HEL systems, LOCUST is a cost-effective, rugged, precise, and scalable solution that is addressing the ever-evolving UAS threats our warfighters are facing on frontlines today. With the technology proven, we remain focused on advancing capabilities while scaling manufacturing to meet the growing demand.”

AV delivered its first LOCUST LWS to RCCTO as part of the Palletized-High Energy Laser (P-HEL) program in 2022. With more than three years of operational deployment outside the United States, these state-of-the-art LWS have demonstrated exceedingly high operational availability rates for prototype systems after first generation lessons learned informed necessary improvements now supporting current technology development efforts. During these deployments, the LOCUST-equipped P-HEL systems, now integrated on AMP-HEL, have performed their designed mission against UAS threats in real world combat.

“Directed energy is no longer a future concept—it is a proven force-protection capability,” said John Garrity, Vice President of AV’s Directed Energy business unit. “Since deployed, LOCUST-equipped P-HEL systems have actively protected warfighters, allies, and critical infrastructure against aerial threats. With LOCUST’s target acquisition, tracking and precision beam control, warfighters have an easy-to-use, reliable, trusted, and proven solution against the very real and evolving threats of modern warfare.”

Designed to be platform-agnostic and rapidly deployable, AV’s directed-energy systems integrate seamlessly with Army command-and-control architectures, providing a critical C-UAS capability that protects Soldiers and assets across a wide range of missions and environments. These systems have been successfully integrated in fixed-site base defense systems and on maneuverable platforms, including the ISV and JLTV, and mounted on the Light Medium Tactical Vehicle for increased mobility.

About AV

AV (NASDAQ: AVAV) is a defense technology leader delivering integrated capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. The Company develops and deploys autonomous systems, loitering munitions, counter-UAS technologies, space-based platforms, directed energy systems, and cyber and electronic warfare capabilities—built to meet the mission needs of today’s warfighter and tomorrow’s conflicts. At the core of these technologies lies AV_Halo, a modular, mission-ready suite of AI-powered software tools that empowers warfighters and enables full-battlefield dominance: detect, decide, deliver. With a national manufacturing footprint and a deep innovation pipeline, AV delivers proven systems and future-defining capabilities at speed, scale, and operational relevance. For more information, visit www.avinc.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to, our ability to perform under existing contracts and obtain new ones; regulatory changes; competitor activities; market growth; product development challenges; and general economic conditions. For a more detailed discussion of these risks, please refer to AeroVironment’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events.

U.S. Soldiers, assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border, prepare to sling load AV’s LOCUST Laser Weapon System integrated on an Infantry Squad Vehicle to a CH-47 Chinook at Fort Bliss, Texas, July 16, 2025. JTF-SB executes full scale, agile, and all-domain operations in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to protect the territorial integrity of the United States and achieve 100% operational control of the southern border. [Credit: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Rynishia Lewis]

The LOCUST Laser Weapon System (LWS) integrated on an Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) was delivered to the U.S. Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) as part of the second increment of the Army Multi-Purpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) prototyping effort. [Credit: AV]

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Government forces in Burkina Faso killed over twice as many civilians as militant jihadist groups over a two-year period, according to a study by Human Rights Watch, which accused both sides of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

According to the report, of the 1,837 civilians killed in the country between January 2023 and August 2025, more than 1,200 were the result of government forces. Over 2 million people are estimated to have been displaced since the conflict began, according to the United Nations.

Ilaria Allegrozzi, the senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch, told The Associated Press that the reported death toll was “most likely a gross undercount because most instances go unreported.”

The Burkina Faso authorities did not respond to requests for comment.

Human Rights Watch says that under President Ibrahim Traoré, the Burkina Faso junta has carried out “a broad crackdown” on political opposition, peaceful dissent and independent media, “fostering an atmosphere of terror and severely restricting the flow of information about the conflict and its toll.”

The landlocked nation of 23 million people has symbolized the security crisis in the Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert in recent years. It has been shaken by violence from extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, and the governments fighting them. The Sahel is the world's deadliest region for extremism, according to the Global Terrorism Index.

Abuses by government forces in Burkina Faso as well as militants from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) — an Al-Qaeda aligned militant group operating in the region — amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch said.

“These atrocities, including the government’s ethnic cleansing of Fulani civilians, amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity for which senior leaders on all sides may be liable,” the 316-page report said.

In one attack detailed in the report, government forces are alleged to have executed 223 civilians, including at least 56 children, accusing them of collaborating with JNIM in the northern Yatenga province in early 2024. In a separate attack the same year, JNIM are said to have killed at least 133 civilians, including dozens of children, in the center of the county.

The targeting of civilians, particularly those of the Fulani ethnic group, appears to be the de facto policy of the Burkina Faso government, according to the rights group, with reprisal attacks against villages accused of collaborating with JNIM being common due to the group's perceived loyalty to militant groups.

“The highest levels of government appear supportive of military action against Fulani people based on these attitudes,” said the report, adding that it is not possible to get an accurate picture of the situation in the country since the military leadership has installed a system of de facto censorship. Those who do speak out risk being abducted, imprisoned or drafted into the army.

The military junta, which took power in 2022, has failed to provide the stability it promised. According to conservative estimates, more than 60% of the country is now outside of government control, more than 2.1 million people have lost their homes and almost 6.5 million need humanitarian aid to survive.

Conflict monitoring group Armed Conflict Location & Event Data estimates that least 10,600 civilians have been killed since 2016.

FILE - In this photo provided by RIA Novosti, Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traore arrives at the Grand Palace at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on May 10, 2025. (Stanislav Krasilnikov/RIA Novosti via AP, file)