Leonardo DRS has been selected by AeroVironment to support production of the U.S. Army’s Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) system, a newly disclosed subcontract covering power management, environmental control and rugged integration for mobile directed-energy weapons. EDR Magazine reports that Leonardo DRS announced the work will support AeroVironment’s LOCUST X3 systems under the Army program.
The Army awarded AeroVironment an Other Transaction Agreement valued at $464.8 million for E-HEL in September, according to AeroVironment’s announcement. That award covers delivery of dozens of 30-kilowatt LOCUST X3 laser weapon systems over the next few years, along with continuing system support and training. The company identified the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle as an integration platform and said palletized configurations are also available.
The $464.8 million figure is the value of AeroVironment’s Army award, not a disclosed value for DRS’s work. Neither of the fetched documents gives DRS’s subcontract amount, a system-by-system production quantity for its portion, or specific delivery dates. The available schedule therefore establishes planned multi-year production rather than completed deliveries or operational fielding.
EDR Magazine reports that Leonardo DRS announced the production effort builds on earlier integration work involving live-fire evaluations and training in 2024 and 2025. AeroVironment separately described E-HEL as its transition from prototype activity to production, but the sources do not establish that the new systems have entered Army operational service.