AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) has received its first international purchase order for its LOCUST Laser Weapon System, valued at more than $50 million, according to a company statement.

The direct commercial sale order covers an initial delivery of LOCUST systems and associated support. The company did not disclose the identity of the purchasing country.

The order follows AeroVironment's selection by the U.S. Army for a $464.8 million Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL) contract, which the company describes as the first production contract for high energy laser weapon systems in U.S. history.

"This first international order signals increasing global recognition that high-energy laser weapon systems are essential to modern air defense," said Wahid Nawabi, President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at AeroVironment.

LOCUST is a high-energy laser weapon system designed to counter Group 1-3 unmanned aircraft systems and other aerial threats. The system supports fixed-site, palletized, and mobile deployment and is reported to deliver engagements for less than $10 per shot.

The company states the system has achieved several operational milestones, including laser kills on drone targets along the U.S. southern border and defeating multiple drones from the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of War have signed a safety agreement creating a pathway for LOCUST to operate in U.S. airspace.

To support production demand, AeroVironment said it is investing more than $30 million to expand its manufacturing campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a move the company projects will add more than 450 jobs and generate over $670 million in economic impact.