The US Joint Task Force – Southern Border (JTF-SB), operating under US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) in support of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), announced on 27 August 2026 that it had successfully shot down three “adversarial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) using directed-energy capabilities”.

During this operation, which spanned the late-night hours of 25-26 August, JTF-SB personnel used systems procured under the Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) programme to engage and defeat three drug-cartel-operated unmanned aerial vehicles that were deemed to be “posing a physical threat to US military personnel and CBP partners”.

The publicised operation is evidence of the US Army’s increasing rollout of laser weapon systems (LWSs) to support CBP counter-cartel measures on the southern US border.

“The successful defeat of these adversarial drones is a direct testament to the readiness, vigilance, and technological edge of the JTF,” Major General Curtis Taylor, commander of JTF-SB, was quoted as stating in a NORHTCOM press release. “Cartel networks are increasingly employing unmanned aircraft systems to facilitate illicit human smuggling and actively spy on our personnel and law enforcement partners. By integrating layered countermeasures alongside advanced directed-energy capabilities like this laser system, we have made it clear that we will not tolerate hostile surveillance. We also greatly appreciate the support of our Mexican Army partners as we work together to combat this threat to the border region.”

The NORTHCOM press release stated that JTF-SB forces, since assuming their mission in March 2025, “have reinforced hundreds of miles of the southern border with wire obstacles; conducted tens of thousands of detection and monitoring patrols, including in partnership with the Mexican military; executed thousands of observation flights; and cleared vegetation in remote areas,” adding that “These operations have enhanced CBP’s situational awareness, accelerated response times, and bolstered overall efforts to disrupt cartel-led illegal activity at the southern border.”

The LWSs used in the operation were among those delivered to the US Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) by AeroVironment in September and October 2025 as part of the AMP-HEL prototyping initiative. The initial two systems, delivered in September 2025 under the programme’s Increment 1, feature AeroVironment’s 20-35 kW-class Locust counter-UAV LWS integrated onto the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) platform produced by GM Defense. Two additional systems, delivered in December 2025 under the programme’s Increment 2, feature the Locust LWS integrated onto Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicles.

LWS operational teething troubles

The US Army’s LWS use on the southern border has not come without causing some operational issues. In early February 2026 El Paso airport in Texas suffered an airspace closure lasting several hours when the US Federation Aviation Administration (FAA) deemed that the US Army’s use of LWSs in the area posed a threat to commercial airliners. It appears that LWSs were used at the time to counter cartel-operated drones in the vicinity of the airport without the FAA being dutifully notified.