Aerospace- and defense-focused photonics company Attalon, USA, announced a long-term supply agreement with defense technology company AeroVironment (AV), USA. Under the deal, Attalon’s new Valaris high-energy laser platform will be deployed as part of AV’s LOCUST system to counter drone threats. Attalon, which spun off from Coherent in January 2026, will invest US$15 million to expand its production of high-energy lasers, grow its workforce and add capital equipment in order to fulfill the agreement.

From prototype to production

In early September, AV announced that it had been awarded a landmark contract from the US Army for the company’s LOCUST laser weapon system to be used in the Enduring-High Energy Laser (E-HEL) program. The company said that this award represents the first-ever production contract for high-energy laser weapon systems in US history, “signaling a historic transition from prototype to production for laser weapon systems.” 

Under the contract, valued at US$464.8 million, AV will deliver dozens of LOCUST X3 laser weapon systems in support of multi-year fielding requirements as part of the Army’s layered air defense capabilities against group 1-3 unmanned aircraft systems. The LOCUST X3 is described as a 30-kW platform-agnostic system. It will be integrated with various platforms including the US Army’s Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, with options for palletized configurations and the potential to be used on an Infantry Squad Vehicle.

 “This award marks a defining moment not only for AV, but for the future of modern defense,” said AV Chairman, President and CEO Wahid Nawabi. “The transition of directed energy from experimentation to an enduring, fielded capability reflects years of collaboration, innovation and operational success alongside the US Army.”

Then, on 8 September, AV announced another purchase order for more than US$50 million from an unspecified international customer—its first international order. Nawabi said in a press release announcing the order that it “signals increasing global recognition that high‑energy laser weapon systems are essential to modern air defense.”

Looking to Attalon

AV’s long-term supply agreement with Attalon comes in the wake of this increased demand for directed-energy capabilities. Attalon offers three versions of its flagship Valaris laser system. AV has selected the Valaris S system, a spectrally beam-combined architecture that Attalon says can deliver 30-kW-class output and can be scaled to 50 kW. The other variants include the Valaris X, a coherently beam-combined system delivering 70-kW-class power and scalable beyond 400 kW, and the Valaris D, a dichroically beam-combined solution that can deliver 5- to 15-kW-class performance for missions requiring less power.

Mary Clum, AV’s president of Space, Cyber, and Directed Energy, said that Attalon’s Valaris S laser subsystem would be central to the LOCUST production ramp, adding: “This technology is strategically engineered to neutralize today’s pressing drone threats while maintaining the inherent flexibility required to adapt to tomorrow’s complex missions.”

The Valaris lasers also incorporate the company’s kWIC Disconnect technology, which allows individual laser amplifiers to be disconnected and replaced without conventional fiber splicing. The approach is intended to reduce the time and specialized equipment required to repair a system in the field. Attalon says a failed amplifier can be replaced in minutes, potentially allowing a laser to return to operation without removing the complete system for repair.

“Every defense technology reaches a moment where breakthrough performance alone is no longer enough," said Attalon CEO John Bergeron. "The defining challenge becomes delivering that capability at production scale while ensuring it can be sustained throughout its service life. Directed energy has reached that moment.”