The Defense Department announced Thursday that it had awarded directed-energy agreements to nLIGHT Defense and Lockheed Martin Aculight.
The laser program starts with a $86 million award
The agreements are valued at $86 million and support the Joint Laser Weapon System program, which is spearheaded by the Pentagon’s Research and Engineering directorate. They fall under an initiative with a total program ceiling of $847 million. The figures describe two different amounts: the new agreements support the program, while the ceiling sets the initiative’s overall limit. The announcement does not specify how the award is divided between the two companies.¹²³
Scaled directed energy, or SCADE, is one of six Critical Technology Areas that the Research and Engineering undersecretariat is working to advance. Pentagon chief technology officer Emil Michael said in a statement Thursday: “We must actively defend the homeland against emerging threats.” The program sits within that broader technology effort, while the agreements support a specific weapons program. The statement gives the department’s stated reason for pursuing the work, without setting out a deployment schedule.¹²³
The initial Joint Laser Weapon System prototypes are designed to provide approximately 150 kilowatts of power. Subsequent versions are to be scaled to reach a 300–500 kW threshold described as necessary for robust cruise missile defense. That progression puts the first prototypes below the stated range for that mission. The figures show the program’s planned power increase, but the announced details do not say when either stage reaches operational use.¹²³
A 500-kilowatt system is under development alongside the prototypes A 500-kW integrated system is also being developed using a laser source developed under the High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative, or HELSI.
A 500-kilowatt system is under development alongside the prototypes
A 500-kW integrated system is also being developed using a laser source developed under the High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative, or HELSI. The plan links that source to a larger integrated system rather than describing it as one of the initial prototypes. The program therefore has two stated strands: prototype systems that begin at approximately 150 kilowatts and development of an integrated system at 500 kW. The announcement does not give a delivery date for the integrated system.¹²³
AI & TechnologyUS Teachers Move More Work into Class as AI Spreads
Teachers are replacing some take-home essays with oral exams, in-class writing and assignments designed to show how students think.
Read More →A separate Army prototype based on Epirus’s Leonidas system was fired at a swarm of 12 drones, and all of the drones dropped from the sky. The account identifies the system as a prototype and describes the result of that test; it does not identify Leonidas as a laser. Andy Lowery is CEO of Epirus. The demonstration offers a distinct example of counter-drone testing alongside the laser program, rather than evidence that the Joint Laser Weapon System produced the same result.¹²³
In June, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico. During the visit, Hegseth took control of a system called LOCUST and used its high-energy laser to defeat a drone. Separately, Manhattan Project scientists detonated the first atomic bomb at Trinity Site in 1945. The two sites are distinct: the ledger identifies the laser demonstration at White Sands and the atomic-bomb test at Trinity Site.¹²³
Task Force 401 is testing directed-energy systems at five bases
The Defense Department established Joint Interagency Task Force 401 in August 2025. The task force coordinates federal efforts to rapidly field counter-drone technology across all domains. That remit places it in charge of coordinating efforts to move counter-drone systems toward use, while the Joint Laser Weapon System is a separate program under the Pentagon’s Research and Engineering directorate. The two efforts address counter-drone technology at different levels: one develops a weapon system, and the other coordinates broader fielding.¹²³
Task Force 401 selected five U.S. bases for a directed-energy pilot: sites in Arizona, Texas, Washington State, North Dakota and Missouri. The pilot program was announced in May and selected five military facilities to test directed-energy systems for counter-drone missions. The stated purpose is testing systems at military facilities; the available details do not identify which systems will go to each base or give a timetable for the tests. The locations show the pilot’s spread across several states.¹²³
bases for a directed-energy pilot: sites in Arizona, Texas, Washington State, North Dakota and Missouri.
Army Brig. Gen. Matt Ross, director of the Joint Interagency Task Force 401, said the counter-drone task force plans to run a directed-energy shoot-off in December. The planned event adds a comparative test to the pilot’s facility-based testing. The announcement does not specify how many systems will take part, which facilities will host the shoot-off or what criteria will determine a result. It identifies the event and its month, but gives no further schedule details.¹²³
Uncoordinated laser use has triggered airspace closures
AI & TechnologyAI Automation and Oil Exploration Link Two Global Risks
AI's use in oil exploration and extraction could add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, while data centre projects face delays and cancellations.
Read More →In February, Customs and Border Protection used LOCUST near Fort Bliss in Texas against what officials believed was a threatening drone. Because the firing had not been coordinated with the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency closed airspace around El Paso International Airport. An apparent miscommunication over a laser test earlier this year also prompted the FAA to briefly close airspace over El Paso, Texas. The episode shows how an uncoordinated test can affect aviation operations beyond the site where a system is used.¹²³
Two weeks later, the U.S. military used a laser near Fort Hancock in Texas to shoot down another object it deemed threatening. The account describes a separate use after the LOCUST firing near Fort Bliss; it does not identify the system used near Fort Hancock. Together, the incidents show laser use against objects considered threats at two locations in Texas. The available details do not say whether the later firing was coordinated with the FAA or whether it led to an airspace closure.¹²³
Leonardo DRS has integrated LOCUST into a Stryker armored-vehicle prototype. Philip Perconti, the company’s senior vice president and chief technology officer, was previously deputy assistant secretary of the Army for research and technology and the Army’s chief scientist. The vehicle integration provides another form for the system beyond the use near Fort Bliss. The disclosed detail establishes that LOCUST has been fitted to a prototype vehicle; it does not state that the Stryker version took part in either Texas incident.¹³
Aim at Directed-Energy Roles
The Pentagon's $86 million award to nLIGHT Defense and Lockheed Martin Aculight, under a $847 million program ceiling, signals that directed-energy work is a funded, multi-year priority. If you are an engineer or program manager, weigh roles tied to the Joint Laser Weapon System or the High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative. The program's power progression from 150 kW to a 300–500 kW threshold means companies need people who can scale laser systems, not just build one-off prototypes. Ask about the specific power target your team owns, since the first prototypes sit below the cruise-missile defense range.¹²³
Related on Career Ahead When AI Starts Learning From Itself The New Arena: Unlocking Professional Pathways in the Multi-Billion Dollar Esports Industry Are We More Connected or Alone?
Task Force 401's December shoot-off and its five-base pilot in Arizona, Texas, Washington State, North Dakota, and Missouri create near-term testing and evaluation jobs. If you work in defense testing or fielding, target those locations or companies supplying systems for the pilot. Also note the airspace closure near El Paso after an uncoordinated LOCUST firing; this makes coordination and FAA liaison skills more valuable. Epirus's Leonidas test against 12 drones and LOCUST's Stryker integration show counter-drone work spans multiple platforms, so versatility across systems matters.²³
Sources
- defensescoop.com — https://defensescoop.com/2026/07/09/pentagon-joint-laser-weapon-system-defeat-drone-swarms/
- breakingdefense.com — https://breakingdefense.com/2026/08/pentagon-counter-drone-task-force-preps-shoot-off-for-directed-energy-prototypes/
- scientificamerican.com — https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-pentagon-tests-lasers-and-microwaves-against-drone-swarms/
Written by Career Ahead AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify key facts. Report errors to support@careeraheadonline.com
AI & TechnologyHyundai Launches Bayon, Targets 250,000 Mid-Size SUV Sales
Hyundai plans seven new nameplates in India by 2030 and intends the Bayon for more than 50 global markets.
Read More →
