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Border lasers have shot down hostile drones

What's happened

The US Army has used a high-energy laser system to track and destroy drones near the US–Mexico border. The operation occurred late August and involved Joint Task Force Southern Border and AeroVironment’s Locust Laser Weapon System, signaling a broader push to defend personnel and partners with layered counter-drone defenses.

What's behind the headline?

Key takeaways

  • The operation demonstrates a shift toward mobile, directed-energy defenses in border security.
  • The Locust system is designed to be mounted on vehicles and can track, illuminate, and destroy moving drones at range.
  • Officials link drone activity to cartel networks, signaling a broader strategy to deter surveillance and drug-smuggling operations.

What this implies

  • A larger, sustained effort to layer defenses may be deployed across the force, testing non-kinetic options alongside traditional interceptors.
  • Questions remain about sovereignty, operational scope, and transparency of such actions on international borders.

How we got here

U.S. forces have increasingly tested and deployed directed-energy counter-drone capabilities along the southern border. Prototypes of the Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser system were delivered to the Army last year, with newer versions expanding integration with radar and command-and-control systems.

Our analysis

- Ars Technica reports that the Army used the Locust Laser Weapon System to shoot down three drones near the Rio Grande Valley, with JTF-SB leading the operation and Curtis Taylor emphasizing cartel-linked drone activity. - Business Insider UK notes the defense department’s description of the incidents as part of a broader counter-drone effort, citing NORTHCOM and AeroVironment as the lasers’ developers. - Independent highlights the ambiguity of the location and sovereignty concerns, while connecting the events to the administration’s immigration and security objectives. - Additional coverage from Business Insider UK discusses training and testing of counter-drone capabilities, including AI-assisted detection and live-fire exercises.

Go deeper

  • How might these laser defenses change civilian border operations?
  • What are the most significant risks or challenges in scaling directed-energy weapons?

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Latest Headlines from Nourish | The Nourish Mission