US military uses high-energy laser to shoot down three cartel-linked drones at the southern border
Joint Task Force-Southern Border used its Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser system to shoot down three drones over two days this week, judging them hostile to troops and Customs and Border Protection agents. Officials will not say where the shootdowns happened or which cartel the drones belonged to. Per CBS News and DefenseScoop.
The U.S. military this week used a high-energy laser to shoot down three drones along the U.S.-Mexico border that officials say were linked to drug cartels. Joint Task Force-Southern Border, operating under U.S. Northern Command, engaged the drones over two days using the Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) system, developed by AeroVironment, after determining they were hostile to troops and Customs and Border Protection agents. Officials have not disclosed exactly where the shootdowns took place, whether over U.S. or Mexican airspace, or which cartel the drones were linked to, citing operational security. Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, the task force commander, said cartel networks increasingly use drones to support human smuggling and to spy on personnel and law enforcement. The rollout of laser counter-drone systems on the border has not been smooth: in February, the same type of laser accidentally shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone near Fort Hancock, Texas, and a separate dispute over drone testing briefly closed airspace near El Paso. Per CBS News and DefenseScoop.