A laser gun that never runs out of bullets sounds like science fiction. But the United States Army has just shown one in public.
Meet LOCUST X3
The system is called LOCUST X3. It is a high-energy laser, rated at 20 to more than 35 kilowatts. It is mounted on MUSKOX, an unmanned ground vehicle that drives itself. There is no crew on board at all.
The pairing was unveiled at AUSA 2026 in Washington on 12 October 2026. That is the Army's biggest exhibition of the year.
Its Job: Burn Drones Out of the Sky
Its job is simple to explain and hard to do: burn hostile drones out of the sky. That includes small surveillance drones. It also includes larger one-way attack drones of the Shahed type. These drones have changed modern warfare because they are cheap to build and can be launched in swarms.
Why a Laser Solves the Cost Problem
That cost gap is exactly the problem LOCUST X3 is meant to solve. An attack drone may cost only a few thousand dollars. A traditional air-defence missile costs far more. And a launcher carries only a limited number of them. Once they are fired, they are gone.
A laser works differently. Every shot is electricity. As long as power and cooling hold, it can keep firing. That is why soldiers describe it as a deep magazine. It is a weapon that reloads itself straight from a generator.
The same system can also engage small unmanned boats. This helps to protect ports and coastlines.
From Testing Into Production
Most importantly, this is no longer just a laboratory prototype. The US Army has awarded AeroVironment its first production contract for a high-energy laser weapon, under the E-HEL programme. In other words, lasers are moving from testing into production.
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