US Military Uses Laser Weapon to Shoot Down Cartel Drones Near Border
5 sources across 4 countries · Brazil · Israel · United Kingdom · United States
Who reported this
- G1
- CNN Brasil
- The Jerusalem Post
- Reuters
- CNN
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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The United States military used a high energy laser to shoot down three drones operated by Mexican drug cartels in the Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas. The operation took place between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, according to statements from the North American Aerospace Defense Command and US Northern Command. Military officials stated that the drones represented a physical threat to US military personnel and US Customs and Border Protection agents.
Major General Curtis Taylor, commander of the Joint Task Force Southern Border, said that cartel networks are increasingly using unmanned aircraft to spy on security personnel and facilitate the illegal smuggling of people. While the strikes occurred near the border, the military did not disclose the exact location or confirm if the drones were shot down over US or Mexican territory. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that any unilateral US action on Mexican soil would be a grave violation of her country's sovereignty.
The deployment of the Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser comes as the administration of President Donald Trump works to fulfill 2024 campaign promises to clamp down on immigration and cartels. The border task force, established in 2025, has conducted thousands of observation flights and tens of thousands of monitoring patrols since its inception.
Security officials noted that cartels often use adapted commercial drones to monitor trafficking routes or drop drug packages, and in some parts of Mexico, they have used drones to launch deadly explosive attacks. Regarding the technology used, some reports noted that AeroVironment Inc delivered multi purpose high energy lasers to the Army last summer. Other reports mentioned that a previous deployment of the AeroVironment LOCUST system caused a seven hour airspace shutdown near El Paso International Airport earlier this year, and that the military accidentally shot down a US government drone with a laser system in February.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- Highlighted the potential for diplomatic tensions with Mexico and the political context of the Trump administration's policies.
- Centre
- Presented the event as a security operation while providing technical context on the laser systems and previous military errors.
- Centre-right
- Focused on the military action and the threat posed by cartel networks to US personnel.
Sources
- Centre-left CNN: US military uses laser to down three Mexican cartel drones near border
- Centre CNN Brasil: US Army uses laser to shoot down cartel drones on the border
- Centre-left G1: US Army uses laser weapon and shoots down Mexican cartel drones due to 'threat' on the border
- Centre Reuters: US military uses laser to down three Mexican cartel drones near border - Reuters
- Centre-right The Jerusalem Post: US military uses laser to shoot down 3 Mexican cartel drones near border, officials say
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.