Lasers down 11 cartel drones along southern border, US military says
U.S. Northern Command said the Army’s laser system brought down 11 drones linked to illicit activity as border takedowns topped 300 this year.
- Northern Command forces downed 11 cartel-linked drones last week using the Army Multipurpose High-Energy Laser system in the Rio Grande Valley, with officials assessing the unmanned systems as associated with illicit activity.
- Criminal groups across Latin America use inexpensive commercial drones costing $600 to $1,200 for surveillance and drug trafficking, with more than 27,000 incursions reported near the southern border in 2024.
- About 8,000 service members assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border have downed more than 300 drones since 2026 began using "kinetic and non-kinetic systems", while Northern Command characterized targeted drones as "hostile" for threatening personnel.
- Mexico's Defense Ministry reports maintaining "mirror operations" since February 2025 to disrupt trafficking, though the mistaken downing of a CBP drone near Fort Hancock raised coordination concerns between military and federal agencies.
- Sociologist Rodrigo Peña notes that technological innovation challenges traditional ideas of state authority, as President Claudia Sheinbaum warned any unilateral U.S. action on Mexican soil would breach sovereignty.
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64 Articles
Three hundred drones shot down since the beginning of the year, on the border between Mexico and the United States, drones used by criminal organizations. Washington welcomed this result yesterday (Friday 4 September 2006).
On Saturday, the United States Army announced the shooting down of more than 300 drones launched by drug cartels along the border with Mexico since the beginning of this year, indicating that about 100 of them had been shot down over the past month alone.
Ifølge Mexicos forsvarsminister bliver droner brugt ved grænsen mellem USA og Mexico af menneskesmuglere
According to Mexico's defense minister, drones are being used at the US-Mexico border by human smugglers.
BT
According to Mexico's defense minister, drones are being used at the US-Mexico border by human smugglers.
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