US Army to Make Laser Weapons Official Arsenal in Landmark Deal

The US Army is set to make a laser weapon an official part of its arsenal for the first time. The Pentagon is poised to sign a contract with AeroVironment for the Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL) system, according to sources familiar with the matter, with an announcement possible as early as the week of August 4, 2026.

The deal, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, would cover up to 20 laser weapons designed to defend bases worldwide from drone attacks. The systems must fit inside a four-by-seven-foot container or atop an all-terrain vehicle and be powerful enough to destroy one-way attack drones like the Iranian Shahed-136.

This marks a historic shift because the E-HEL will be a formal "program of record," meaning it is officially approved and inscribed in the Pentagon's five-year budget. Craig Robin, former head of directed energy for the Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, said this indicates wider cultural acceptance of laser technology as a military capability.

The move follows years of laser weapon experiments, many of which failed. A chemical laser on a 747 and a laser on a Humvee never panned out. More recently, four Raytheon laser vehicles were pulled from the Middle East after poor soldier reviews, and an AeroVironment laser at the southern border accidentally hit a party balloon in February 2026, briefly closing airspace around El Paso, Texas, and later shot down a Border Patrol drone by mistake.

Despite mishaps, the accidental kill demonstrated the laser's effectiveness against drones. The urgency increased after an Iranian drone killed six US service members on March 1, 2026. Days later, Pentagon and FAA officials saw an AeroVironment laser demo at White Sands, New Mexico, and Lt. Gen Frank Lozano later said the Army was negotiating a contract for the E-HEL. President Donald Trump then touted laser technology at his Doral, Florida club on March 8, 2026.

Modern fiber lasers, which bundle glass wires infused with rare-earth ions, have advanced through better semiconductor diodes, machine vision, and adaptive optics. Under Secretary of Defense Emil Michael told Congress in May 2026 that the science is largely done and engineering is making lasers cheaper and smaller. However, experts caution that lasers are limited by weather and cannot stop mass drone swarms, and nLight CEO Scott Keeney noted that powerful beams pose risks to aircraft and satellites.