DRS will apply its expertise in power management, environmental control to enable the mobile high-energy laser system intended to counter unmanned aircraft system (UAS) threats.

In September 2026, the U.S. Army announced its award to AV for the E-HEL program, describing it as the service’s first production contract for a high-energy laser weapon system. The Army said E-HEL is intended to give soldiers a scalable, affordable directed-energy system that strengthens C-UAS operations.

DRS’ subcontract supports AV’s production of LOXUST X3 laser weapon systems und the Army’s E-HEL program. AV’s 30-kilowatt, platform-agnostic LOCUST X3 is designed for integration across a range of military platforms, including the Army’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, with palletized configuration options also available.

The work builds on DRS’ previous directed-energy integration experience, including a rapid-prototyping effort in partnership with AeroVironment and other industry partners to develop a mobile counter-UAS directed-energy capability integrated into an armored vehicle. In that effort, DRS provided vehicle-integration, power, thermal-management and systems-engineering expertise for U.S. government live-fire evaluations and training in 2024 and 2025.

By applying this experience to the E-HEL program, DRS is helping bring scalable, fieldable directed-energy technology to the Army’s counter-UAS mission and broader defense-modernization efforts.

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