WASHINGTON, Sept 4 (Reuters) – The U.S. military has downed 11 cartel drones using lasers since deploying the technology along the U.S.-Mexican border last week, U.S. officials said on Friday.
U.S. Northern Command, in a statement, said the unmanned aerial systems, or UAS, “were assessed to be associated with illicit activity along the border” and were targeted with the Army Multipurpose High-Energy Laser system as part of a task force operation along the southern U.S. border.
More than 300 drones have been downed since the start of 2026 using both “kinetic and non-kinetic systems” in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, USNORTHCOM said, adding that more than 100 drones were taken down in August.
The military did not say where exactly the laser strikes took place or whether they occurred over U.S. or Mexican territory. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said any unilateral U.S. action on Mexican soil would be a grave breach of her country’s sovereignty.
It also did not specify the manufacturer of the laser technology used.
(Reporting by Mike Stone; writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Alex Richardson)
