US military laser downs three cartel drones near southern border

Military personnel destroyed three unmanned aircraft near the southern border using a mobile high-energy laser weapon, according to Joint Task Force–Southern Border. The task force said the engagements happened overnight on August 25 and 26, 2026, in the Rio Grande Valley region of southern Texas.

The drones were called hostile because they were allegedly supporting activities that threatened US military personnel and Customs and Border Protection agents. The military did not say whether the drones were destroyed over US or Mexican territory. It also did not name the criminal organizations believed to be operating them.

The weapon involved was the Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser, a mobile counter-drone system built to disable or destroy small unmanned aircraft with concentrated laser energy. The manufacturer said the first two prototype units were delivered to the Army in 2025.

Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commander of the task force, said cartel groups have increasingly relied on drones to aid human-smuggling operations and to watch military and law enforcement personnel along the border. He said the use of layered countermeasures, including directed-energy systems, showed that hostile surveillance would not be tolerated in the area.

Taylor also credited coordination with the Mexican Army in addressing threats in the border region. US Northern Command told a broadcaster that the operation was coordinated with partner forces, but it declined to give further details, citing operational security around ongoing counter-cartel and counter-drone efforts.

No further details were released about the specific drone models involved, the exact number of personnel present during the engagements, or whether additional laser engagements have occurred elsewhere along the border.