The U.S. military has eliminated eleven cartel-linked drones in just ten days using a high-energy laser weapon system now deployed along the southern border, and officials say the technology is already changing the game against criminal organizations operating from Mexico.
Since the laser system officially debuted last month, drone activity probing the Rio Grande Valley has plummeted by roughly 75%, military officials told CBS News in a report published Monday. The dramatic drop came less than two weeks after the military first used the weapon to down suspicious aircraft surveilling American territory.
For years, Mexican cartels have deployed drones to scout border operations, track law enforcement movements, and facilitate their smuggling operations. The military previously relied on jamming tools that would simply send drones back to their point of origin. But those measures proved frustratingly temporary.
“When you just send it back and then it comes back up or is defeated temporarily, but the game changer is ensuring that that tool can’t be used again against you,” Army Col. Robert Felicio, commander of the 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, told CBS News.
The laser system allows military personnel to permanently eliminate a drone if it’s deemed a threat from a Mexican cartel, rather than playing an endless cat-and-mouse game with criminal organizations that simply relaunch their aircraft.
The technology first made headlines in February after the military used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone in Texas. That incident prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to close additional airspace near El Paso. Military officials said communication with the FAA has improved since then, and the system moved into official operational use.
The weapon’s combat debut came on August 25 and 26, when the military took down three drones. Since then, the pace has only accelerated.
The development represents a significant escalation in the technological battle playing out along America’s southern border. Cartels have grown increasingly sophisticated in recent years, using commercial drone technology to gain advantages over law enforcement and military personnel tasked with securing the border.
The high-energy laser system offers several advantages over traditional countermeasures. Unlike missiles or other kinetic weapons, lasers can be fired repeatedly without the need to reload ammunition. They’re also precise, reducing the risk of collateral damage in populated border areas.
