US Army tests counter-drone tech at Mexican border as cartel drone use rises

Yuma, Arizona - The U.S. Army is experimenting with counter-drone technology along the U.S.-Mexico border, aiming to strengthen defenses against the increasing use of drones by cartels and mirror the swift battlefield innovation witnessed in Ukraine's conflict with Russia. During a September joint exercise in Arizona's Falcon Peak, soldiers observed demonstrations from defense companies showcasing radars, autonomous drone interceptors, and various other systems designed to detect, track, and neutralize small unmanned aircraft.

Army officials stated that most drones crossing the southern border are commercially available systems used by criminals for surveillance purposes related to their smuggling and human trafficking activities. Brigadier General Brian Filler, deputy commander for operations at Joint Task Force Southern Border, mentioned that the military detected 378 drone incursions in the past 30 days, and this number is on the rise.

Filler explained that the majority of these drones are commercial off-the-shelf models equipped with surveillance cameras and are often found in conjunction with cross-border movements. Earlier this month, the U.S. military announced that it had successfully downed 11 cartel drones using laser technology since deploying the counter-drone systems along the southern border in August.

While military planners are endeavoring to keep up with the lessons learned from Ukraine, where drones have revolutionized the battlefield and spurred rapid advancements in both offensive and defensive technologies, they emphasize that cartel-operated drones are not on par with the sophisticated battlefield drones seen in Ukraine or the Middle East.

However, they acknowledge that the border provides a valuable testing ground for equipment, soldier training, and evaluating how systems perform in real-world, non-controlled settings. The exercise underscored the Pentagon's increasing reliance on venture-backed defense technology firms. Since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, billions of dollars have been invested in companies like Anduril, Shield AI, Saronic, and numerous smaller drone and counter-drone startups aiming to secure military contracts.

Anduril's Ghost drone was among the showcased technologies, alongside radar-and-camera detection systems from Teledyne FLIR, the Bullfrog automated machine gun by Allen Control Systems, and an interceptor drone sold by Powerus, which recently merged with a company backed by the sons of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Officials aim to emulate the quick iteration cycle observed in Ukraine, with Brigadier General Matt Ross stating, "We tend to look at Ukraine and we say, 'I am so impressed with how quickly they can adapt on a daily or weekly basis.' What we should really do is replicate that process."