LOCUST Laser Manufacturer to Expand New Mexico Operations

U.S. anti-drone laser weapons manufacturer AeroVironment, Inc., announced plans on March 3 to invest more than $30 million to expand operations in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The company supplies the U.S. Army with mobile 20-kilowatt LOCUST Laser Weapon Systems for countering drone threats. The systems are used on infantry squad vehicles and joint light tactical vehicles and are designed for high-precision, rapid tracking.

AeroVironment received $5 million from the state of New Mexico and $1 million from the city of Albuquerque through an economic development grant to help with the expansion at three existing manufacturing sites in the Sandia Science and Technology Park.

“The growth we’re driving in Albuquerque goes beyond our own business,” said Wahid Nawabi, chairman, president, and CEO of the company. “It’s about strengthening the domestic defense industrial base, creating high-quality American jobs, and partnering with New Mexico to continue to develop a durable innovation and manufacturing hub that can deliver when it matters most.”

Beyond its laser weapons, the company has also developed artificial intelligence products for government and industry to counter drones, and for satellite communications, cyber threat detection and prediction, surveillance, reconnaissance, transportation, and other uses.

The expansion is expected to create a manufacturing campus that will generate more than $670 million in economic income over the next 10 years, according to AeroVironment.

“This move marks a step change in our ability to deliver mission-critical capabilities at scale,” said Mary Clum, President of AV’s Space, Cyber & Directed Energy segment. “Albuquerque is a strategic production and integration hub for space-grade components and directed energy systems that directly support U.S. national security priorities.”

The company also expects to create more than 450 high-wage jobs and strengthen New Mexico’s role in the U.S. defense industrial base by enabling scaled domestic production of directed energy systems and space-grade components that support national security.

The company already employs more than 400 people and has a reported growth record of nearly 30 percent year over year from 2023 to 2026.

“Albuquerque is where defense innovation becomes advanced manufacturing,” said Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller.

The city is already home to Sandia National Laboratories, a U.S. Department of Energy lab focused on national security, nuclear deterrence, energy, and global security. The facility is the engineering arm of the U.S. nuclear weapons enterprise.