U.S. Military Tests Counter-Drone Tech at Southern Border

The U.S. Military detected 378 drone incursions along the southern border in the previous 30 days. Brigadier General Brian Filler, deputy commander for operations at Joint Task Force Southern Border, stated the trend is increasing. He said drones crossing the border are typically commercially sold systems used by criminals for surveillance linked to smuggling and human trafficking. Most carry surveillance cameras and are observed alongside cross-border movements. "We are seeing largely commercial off-the-shelf available drones," Filler said. The border offers a valuable operational environment to test equipment, train soldiers, and evaluate system performance outside controlled laboratory conditions.

Counter-drone systems demonstrated at Falcon Peak

Defense firms demonstrated a range of technologies designed to detect, track, and destroy small unmanned aircraft at Falcon Peak, a U.S. Northern Command exercise held in September in Arizona. The U.S. Army tested counter-drone technology there as part of its border efforts. Featured systems included radars, interceptor drones, and autonomous gun systems.

Key systems demonstrated included:

Military draws lessons from Ukraine

Military planners are racing to keep pace with lessons from Ukraine, where drones have transformed the battlefield and driven rapid innovation. Officials cautioned that cartel-operated drones are not comparable to sophisticated battlefield drones seen in Ukraine or the Middle East. Brigadier General Matt Ross told reporters the military should replicate Ukraine’s rapid iteration cycle. "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,’" Ross said. He added that what the U.S. Should really do is replicate that process.

Laser systems and venture-backed firms in focus

The U.S. Military said it had downed 11 cartel drones using lasers since deploying the technology along the southern border in August. 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. Powerus, which demonstrated an interceptor drone at Falcon Peak, went public on Thursday by merging with a company backed by sons of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Military planners are racing to keep pace with lessons from Ukraine, where drones have transformed the battlefield and driven rapid innovation in offensive and defensive systems.