Deep Signal: Navy Fires Drone-Frying LOCUST Laser From Supercarrier USS George H.W. Bush

LOCUST Laser Deploys Aboard USS George H.W. Bush: Carrier-Based Directed Energy Reaches FIELDED Status

What Happened

In October 2025, the U.S. Navy successfully fired AeroVironment’s LOCUST (Laser-based Counter-UAS System Technology) directed energy weapon from the flight deck of USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), a Nimitz-class nuclear carrier. The test marked the first confirmed deployment of a high-energy laser counter-UAS system aboard a U.S. supercarrier, targeting drone threats in an operational environment. LOCUST is designed to detect, track, and defeat small UAS threats using a directed energy beam, offering a cost-per-shot measured in dollars of electricity rather than the $20,000–$400,000 per-round cost of kinetic interceptors such as the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile or Evolved SeaSparrow.

Deployment status for LOCUST moves from LIMITED to FIELDED based on this carrier integration. AeroVironment has not publicly disclosed the system’s output power, but comparable naval directed energy programs (e.g., the Navy’s HELIOS at 60 kW, Raytheon’s High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance at 150 kW) suggest LOCUST operates in the 10–60 kW class appropriate for Group 1–3 UAS defeat.

Why It Matters

The carrier deployment closes a specific capability gap that has grown acute since 2022. Small commercial-grade drones demonstrated in Ukraine, Red Sea Houthi operations, and exercises that legacy point-defense systems—designed for anti-ship missiles and aircraft—are poorly matched against swarms of $500–$5,000 UAS. A single SM-2 interceptor costs approximately $400,000; defeating a $1,000 drone with one represents a 400:1 cost exchange ratio that is strategically unsustainable at scale.

LOCUST addresses this asymmetry directly. HIGH CONFIDENCE: the cost-per-engagement for a laser system at sea is dominated by fuel and maintenance, not per-shot expendables, making it economically viable against saturation attacks. A carrier strike group operating in contested waters—the South China Sea, Persian Gulf, or Eastern Mediterranean—now has a layered option below the kinetic threshold.

The carrier integration also signals institutional acceptance within the Navy’s surface warfare community. Carriers are the most politically and operationally sensitive platforms in the fleet; testing a new weapon system aboard CVN-77 rather than a destroyer or auxiliary vessel indicates the program has cleared significant safety, electromagnetic interference, and operational integration reviews.

For AeroVironment (AVAV, NASDAQ), this represents meaningful portfolio diversification. The company’s $665M FY2025 revenue is heavily weighted toward small UAS (Raven, Puma) and loitering munitions (Switchblade, 40–45% of revenue). Directed energy weapons are a lower-volume, higher-margin product category. MODERATE CONFIDENCE: a successful carrier program could generate $50M–$200M in follow-on procurement across the carrier fleet (11 active carriers) and potentially surface combatants, though contract values remain undisclosed.

Competitive Landscape

System	Developer	Platform	Power Class	Deployment Status	Cost Per Shot (Est.)
LOCUST	AeroVironment	Carrier (CVN-77)	Undisclosed	FIELDED	<$10
HELIOS	Lockheed Martin	DDG-class destroyer	60 kW	LIMITED	<$10
ODIN	Raytheon/Navy	DDG-class destroyer	~10 kW (dazzler)	FIELDED	<$10
LAWS	BAE Systems / Navy	USS Ponce (ret.)	30 kW	PROTOTYPE (retired)	<$10
HEL TVD	Northrop Grumman	Ground vehicle	50 kW	LIMITED	<$10
Iron Beam	Rafael	Ground/maritime	100 kW	LIMITED	~$3.50

Lockheed Martin’s HELIOS program, installed aboard USS Preble (DDG-88), is the most direct competitor. HELIOS targets a similar threat set but has been integrated on destroyers rather than carriers, and Lockheed’s program has faced schedule delays. Raytheon’s ODIN system is operational on multiple destroyers but functions primarily as a dazzler/sensor rather than a hard-kill weapon. Rafael’s Iron Beam (Israel) is the most capable fielded system by output power but is not available for U.S. Navy procurement under current arrangements.

AeroVironment’s competitive position here is notable precisely because it is not a traditional directed energy prime. Lockheed, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman have larger directed energy programs and deeper Navy integration experience. AeroVironment’s path to this deployment likely leveraged its existing counter-UAS credibility and relationships built through the Switchblade and SUAS programs rather than a legacy DEW portfolio.

Who Is Affected

Raytheon Technologies faces the most immediate competitive pressure. Its Coyote interceptor drone (Block 2, ~$100,000/unit) and FAAD C-UAS systems are positioned for exactly the carrier defense mission LOCUST now addresses at lower per-engagement cost. Lockheed Martin’s HELIOS program must now demonstrate carrier-class integration to maintain program relevance. Anduril, which is developing the Pulsar directed energy system for counter-UAS, has not yet achieved naval platform integration and remains at PROTOTYPE status for maritime applications.

For the broader C-UAS market—estimated at $4.5B globally in 2024, projected to reach $11.7B by 2030 (CAGR ~14.7%)—this deployment validates directed energy as a viable shipboard solution and will likely accelerate Navy procurement timelines across the surface fleet.

What to Watch

• Q1 2026: Whether the Navy issues a follow-on contract for LOCUST installation aboard additional CVN-class carriers or Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. A fleet-wide contract would confirm SCALING status.
• Q2 2026 (AVAV earnings): AeroVironment’s directed energy revenue line in FY2026 guidance. Any disclosure above $30M would indicate a material new revenue stream.
• March 2026: Navy FY2027 budget request—look for a dedicated directed energy line item that names LOCUST specifically, which would signal program-of-record elevation.
• Mid-2026: Whether Lockheed Martin accelerates HELIOS carrier integration in response, or pivots HELIOS marketing toward destroyer-only applications to avoid direct competition.
• Ongoing: Red Sea operational deployment. If a carrier strike group transits the Bab-el-Mandeb with LOCUST operational, that constitutes the first combat-environment validation and would substantially de-risk the program for broader procurement.

Database Context

AeroVironment’s intelligence rating of CONTENDER with a NARROW moat reflects a company that dominates tactical small UAS but faces commoditization pressure. LOCUST represents a strategic hedge: directed energy weapons are not commoditizing on the same timeline as small UAS hardware, and carrier-class naval integration creates procurement barriers that venture-backed competitors (Anduril, Shield AI) cannot clear quickly. The bear case risk of Switchblade demand normalization post-Ukraine makes this diversification into DEW more strategically significant than the current undisclosed contract value alone suggests. AeroVironment’s funded backlog of $435M—only 7–8 months of revenue—makes new program wins in high-margin categories like directed energy a near-term financial priority, not merely a long-term strategic option.