Aerovironment

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Nov 8

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Tan Joint Light Tactical Vehicle with a boxy laser beam director mounted on its roof, parked on dirt at night

Aerovironment · Counter-Drone

Mar-a-Lago Gets the Laser Family Behind El Paso's Airspace Shutdown

A 20 kW LOCUST laser on a JLTV now guards Mar-a-Lago beside Avenger missiles, three miles from DJT's runway. The TFR warns drones may be destroyed.

Haye KestelooNov 85 min read

An olive-green palletized laser weapon with a box-shaped beam director sits on an aircraft carrier flight deck, with the carrier's island marked 77 and a fighter jet behind it.

Counter-Drone

Pentagon Picks 3 Lasers And A Drone-Frying Microwave For US Bases

AeroVironment, Kord, Boeing and Epirus weapons will guard US bases for a year. The FAA safety finding the Pentagon cites covers one laser family.

Haye KestelooOct 6

Fuel storage tanks burning at a Russian oil depot after a Ukrainian drone strike, with firefighters working in the snow

Ukraine

Ukraine's Drones Broke The Diesel Market. Trump Wants Them Stopped.

European gasoil margins hit about $94 over Brent as Ukrainian drones cut Russian refining to a 24-year low. US diesel just passed $6 a gallon.

Haye KestelooSep 15

Counter-Drone

Navy’s First Carrier Laser Test Destroys Multiple Drones

The US Navy just put a laser weapon on an aircraft carrier for the first time. On October 5, 2025, a palletized AeroVironment LOCUST system detected, tracked, and destroyed multiple drones in a live-fire test aboard the USS George H.W. Bush, as reported by News Nation Now. The Navy sat on the news for 197…

Rafael SuárezApr 24

Skydio

Pentagon Requests $75 Billion For Drones In FY27, With DAWG Getting The Largest Year-Over-Year Boost Of Any Defense Program

Pentagon’s FY27 budget earmarks $75B for drones, with $54.6B for DAWG, the largest year-over-year boost of any defense program. Full analysis and what’s next.

Haye KestelooApr 21

FAA's ICE NOTAM Gets Teeth: Change 13 Is the Enforcement Escalation Drone Pilots Should Fear - FAA Cracks Down on Drone Violations with $341,413 in Proposed Penalties - FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024: Key Changes for Drones and Advanced Air Mobility

Aerovironment

FAA Clears Military to Use Anti-Drone Lasers in U.S. Airspace After Two-Month Standoff

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave the U.S. military formal clearance on Friday to use high-energy lasers against suspected drones in U.S. airspace, ending a two-month interagency dispute that twice shut down commercial flight operations over the Texas-Mexico border. FAA administrator Bryan Bedford said in a joint statement with the Defense Department that the agency…

Haye KestelooApr 11

Aerovironment

AeroVironment Acquires ESAero in $200M Deal

AeroVironment just announced on a press release that has acquired Empirical Systems Aerospace in a transaction valued at approximately $200 million, adding a certified aerospace prototyping and manufacturing operation to a company that has spent the last twelve months aggressively reshaping itself into something much larger than a drone maker. The deal closed March 16…

Rafael SuárezMar 20

Aerovironment

Army’s AMP-HEL Laser Passes FAA Safety Test At White Sands — A Stray Airliner Made The Case

The Army’s AMP-HEL counter-drone laser passed a joint FAA safety evaluation at White Sands Missile Range on March 7-8, 2026 — and an unplanned commercial aircraft triggered the automated shutoff that made the strongest case for the system’s safety. Here’s what the test revealed and what it means for U.S. airspace.

Haye KestelooMar 17

Aerovironment

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