Drone activity at the border drops 75% after U.S. laser deployment, military says

The U.S. military says drone activity along the southern border has fallen sharply since soldiers first used a high-energy laser to bring suspicious drones down. Officials told CBS News that the number of drones probing the Rio Grande Valley dropped by roughly 75% in less than two weeks.

The weapon system made its debut on Aug. 25 and 26, when it downed three drones. Since then, the laser has taken down 11 drones over 10 days. Military officials say they have stopped 300 drones linked to cartels since the beginning of the year.

The Army already uses jamming technology to send some drones back toward their point of origin. The laser offers another option when a drone appears to pose a threat, allowing troops to destroy it rather than temporarily disrupt it.

“When you just send it back and then it comes back up or is defeated temporarily, but the game changer is ensuring that that tool can't be used again against you,” said Army Col. Robert Felicio, commander of the 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade deployed to the border. Felicio described a “significant” change in activity after the laser entered use.

The military has not disclosed how many drones Felicio’s unit sees each day. Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot told lawmakers in 2024 that the southern border saw approximately 1,000 drone incursions a month. Officials also acknowledged that the recent decline could have other explanations, including cartels using different routes.

During a test observed by CBS News, soldiers tracked a small quadcopter from a vehicle carrying the laser. They used an Xbox controller and a camera feed on a tablet-like screen before firing. The beam produced only a brief flash and appeared to deliver an almost instantaneous burst of heat to a precise point on the drone. The recovered aircraft had a damaged propeller and no battery, but remained identifiable.

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When you just send it back and then it comes back up or is defeated temporarily, but the game changer is ensuring that that tool can't be used again against you.