The US military wants a fleet of laser trucks. Here’s what they might look like.

TL;DR

The U.S. Army is advancing the Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL) effort, shifting emphasis from the cancelled Stryker-based DE-MSHORAD work toward lighter tactical platforms such as JLTV and ISV. This pivot, coupled with operational testing of AeroVironment’s 20 kW LOCUST, signals an emerging acquisition focus on directed energy weapons, power systems, and tactical-vehicle integration to counter drones. Contractors in those markets should view E-HEL as a developing opportunity that could become the military’s first directed energy program of record. Immediate implications include increased demand for integration engineering, ruggedized power and thermal management, and DFARS (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement)/ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations)/CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification)/NIST 800-171 (NIST Special Publication 800-171)–aligned program controls. Expect follow-on solicitations and test-based requirements to appear as the Army transitions from developmental tests to fielding decisions. Timeline and solicitation specifics are TBD pending source review; prioritize capture awareness and compliance readiness now.

Key Points

• What happened: The Army refocused from the cancelled Stryker-based DE-MSHORAD toward the Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL) for light tactical vehicles; AeroVironment’s 20 kW LOCUST is already in operational testing.
• Who is affected: Defense market contractors in Directed Energy Weapons, Counter-UAS/Counter-Drone, Tactical Vehicle Systems, Military Electronics, Power Systems; NAICS: 336992, 334511, 336411, 541712, 541330, 336413; Agencies: DOD, Department of the Army; Contract vehicle: Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL); Compliance surfaces: ITAR, DFARS, CMMC, NIST 800-171.
• Timeline: Timeline TBD pending source review.
• What contractors should do NOW: Inventory directed-energy and power-system capabilities, validate ITAR/DFARS/CMMC/NIST 800-171 compliance posture, map existing products to JLTV/ISV integration use cases, start capture planning and teaming conversations, and establish bid/no-bid criteria tied to expected test and integration requirements.

Who Is Affected

• Defense contractors with capabilities in directed energy, counter-UAS, tactical vehicle integration, military electronics, and power/thermal systems.
• Specific NAICS codes, agencies, and contract vehicles pending source review. (Segmentation lists NAICS 336992, 334511, 336411, 541712, 541330, 336413; agencies DOD and Department of the Army; vehicle Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL); compliance: ITAR, DFARS, CMMC, NIST 800-171.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL) program?

A: E-HEL is the Army program focused on fielding high-energy laser systems on light tactical vehicles (per the Summary). It has been described as a potential first directed energy program of record for the military. Pending source review for program documentation and solicitation details.

Q: Which platforms will E-HEL target?

A: The Summary specifies light tactical vehicles such as JLTV and ISV; the Army has shifted focus away from the cancelled Stryker-based DE-MSHORAD toward these lighter platforms.

Q: Are there current test or operational efforts underway that contractors should track?

A: Yes — the Summary notes AeroVironment’s 20 kW LOCUST system is undergoing operational testing. Additional test schedules and solicitation timelines are pending source review.

Definitions

• Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL): The Army program referenced in the Summary to field high-energy laser systems on light tactical vehicles.
• DE-MSHORAD: The cancelled Stryker-based directed energy Medium-Range Air Defense effort referenced as the program the Army shifted away from.
• JLTV: Joint Light Tactical Vehicle — one of the light tactical platforms named in the Summary.
• ISV: Infantry Squad Vehicle — another light tactical platform named in the Summary.
• LOCUST: The 20 kW laser system from AeroVironment mentioned as undergoing operational testing in the Summary.
• Directed energy: Weapons that emit energy in an aimed direction without a projectile (term used in Title and Summary).

Intelligence Response

Cabrillo Signals War Room has detected this event and delivered this briefing. Use the following Cabrillo products to operationalize monitoring, capture, and proposal readiness:

• Cabrillo Signals War Room — Ongoing detection and alerting for program-level changes and testing updates. This briefing was delivered by War Room and will be updated as new source material appears.
• Cabrillo Signals Match Engine — Rescore opportunity pipelines and partner/team lists to reflect increased priority for directed energy, power systems, and vehicle-integration capabilities.
• Cabrillo Signals Intelligence Hub — Maintain saved searches for E-HEL, LOCUST-related tests, and Army solicitations; set alerts for SAM.gov (System for Award Management) postings and agency announcements.
• Proposal Studio (Proposal OS) — Begin capture-focused proposal templates, compliance matrices (ITAR/DFARS/CMMC/NIST 800-171), and win-theme libraries tailored to directed-energy offerings.
• Proposal Studio Workflow Tracker — Execute a 9-gate capture workflow with automated compliance routing and audit-ready documentation as bids develop.

Notify: capture manager, proposal lead, CTO/engineering lead, compliance officer (CMMC/DFARS lead), and business development leads for tactical vehicles and power systems. First 48-hour playbook:

• Hour 0–4: Assemble capture core team; ingest this brief and saved-source links; flag compliance gaps.
• Hour 4–12: Configure Cabrillo Signals Intelligence Hub saved searches for E-HEL and LOCUST; run an initial Match Engine rescore of active pipelines.
• Hour 12–24: Produce initial bid/no-bid decision using Proposal Studio; start draft compliance matrix for ITAR/DFARS/CMMC/NIST 800-171.
• Hour 24–48: Begin outreach to potential teammates, document integration engineering assumptions, and initialize Proposal Studio Workflow Tracker gate 1 capture artifacts.

See foundational capture and compliance guidance in the Winning Federal Contracts Guide (/insights/winning-federal-contracts). For compliance specifics, reference the CMMC Compliance Guide (/insights/cmmc-compliance-guide) and operationally secure teaming practices in the CUI (Controlled Unclassified Information)-Safe CRM Guide (/insights/cui-safe-crm-guide).