U.S. military uses laser to shoot down 3 cartel drones at southern border, Pentagon says

The U.S. military utilized a laser to eliminate three drones purportedly controlled by drug cartels along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the Pentagon. These unmanned aircraft systems were brought down by the Army's Multipurpose High Energy Laser system on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, as reported by U.S. Northern Command.

The Joint Task Force responsible for the operation did not disclose the exact location or the specific cartel affiliation of the drones. No further details were provided regarding the incident. When asked if the drones fell in U.S. or Mexican airspace, a spokesperson for U.S. Northern Command informed CBS News that the strikes were coordinated with all border region partners.

The drones were deemed hostile as they were supporting activities that posed a physical threat to U.S. military personnel and Customs and Border Protection agents. Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, the commander of the southern border Joint Task Force, stated that cartel networks are increasingly using unmanned aircraft systems for illicit human smuggling and surveillance of U.S. personnel and law enforcement.

The integration of countermeasures, including advanced directed-energy capabilities like this laser system, was emphasized as a clear message against hostile surveillance. In February, a similar laser accidentally downed a U.S. Customs and Border Protection drone in southwest Texas and, earlier that month, the FAA briefly suspended commercial airspace around El Paso due to a disagreement over military drone tests near Fort Bliss involving a high-energy laser system.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that both the FAA and Defense Department had acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion, noting that the threat has become normalized. Dr. Austin Doctor, an associate professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, explained that cartels primarily use drones for surveillance to support smuggling operations such as narcotics, human trafficking, firearms, and other illicit goods.

However, cartels have not used weaponized drones within the U.S., but they do so in Mexico to target rival cartels. The southern border Joint Task Force, comprising around 8,000 U.S. service members, was established last year to support President Trump's immigration enforcement.