US Army Tests Counter-Drone Technology Along US-Mexico Border

US Army photo by Sgt. Griffin Payne

The US Army is testing counter-drone technology along the US-Mexico border.

The US Army is testing counter-drone technology along the US-Mexico border as it seeks to strengthen its defences against the growing use of drones by drug cartels and draw lessons from rapid battlefield innovation in Ukraine’s war with Russia.

During Falcon Peak, a US Northern Command exercise held in Arizona in September, soldiers observed demonstrations by defence companies featuring radars, interceptor drones, autonomous gun systems and other technologies designed to detect, track and destroy small unmanned aircraft.

Army officials said drones crossing the southern border are typically commercially available systems used by criminal groups for surveillance linked to smuggling and human trafficking operations.

Brigadier General Brian Filler, deputy commander for operations at Joint Task Force Southern Border, told reporters that the military had detected 378 drone incursions in the previous 30 days, adding that the trend was increasing.

"We are seeing largely commercial off-the-shelf available drones," Filler said, adding that most carry surveillance cameras and are often observed alongside cross-border movements.

The US military said earlier this month it had downed 11 cartel drones using lasers since deploying the technology along the southern border in August.

Military planners are racing to keep pace with lessons from Ukraine, where drones have transformed the battlefield and driven rapid innovation in both offensive and defensive ‌systems.

Military ⁠officials caution that cartel-operated drones are not comparable to the sophisticated battlefield ones seen in Ukraine or the Middle East. But they say the border offers a valuable operational environment to test equipment, train soldiers and evaluate how systems perform outside controlled laboratory conditions.

The exercise highlighted the Pentagon's growing embrace of venture-backed defense technology firms. Since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, investors have poured billions ⁠of dollars into companies such as Anduril, Shield AI, Saronic and a wave of smaller drone and counter-drone startups seeking military contracts.

Anduril's Ghost drone was featured in the demonstrations, as well as the radar-and-camera detection system produced by Teledyne FLIR, the "Bullfrog" counter-drone automated machine ⁠gun produced by Allen Control Systems and an interceptor drone sold by Powerus, which went public on Thursday, merging with a company backed by sons of US President Donald Trump.

Officials said part of their goal is replicating the rapid ⁠iteration cycle seen in Ukraine.

"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,'" Brigadier General Matt Ross told reporters.

"What we should really do is replicate that process."

Source: Reuters



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