US Army Tests Counter-Drone Systems on the Mexican Border as Cartel Drone Flights Climb

The US Army is trying out counter drone technology along the southern border to sharpen its defenses against cartel drones and to borrow the fast innovation seen in Ukraine’s war with Russia. At Falcon Peak, a US Northern Command exercise held in Arizona in September, soldiers watched defense companies show off radars, interceptor drones, autonomous gun systems and other tools built to detect, track and destroy small unmanned aircraft.

Cartel Drone Incursions and Border Security

Brigadier General Brian Filler of Joint Task Force Southern Border said the military logged 378 drone incursions in the previous 30 days, and the trend is rising. Most are ordinary commercial drones with cameras, flown by criminals to watch over smuggling and human trafficking operations. Earlier this month, the military said it had shot down 11 cartel drones with lasers since deploying that technology along the border in August.

Lessons From Ukraine Drone Warfare

Officials stress that cartel drones are nowhere near as advanced as those used in Ukraine or the Middle East, yet they see the border as a useful real world setting to test equipment and train troops. Brigadier General Matt Ross said the military admires how quickly Ukraine adapts, sometimes within days or weeks, and wants to copy that pace of iteration.

Defense Tech Companies and Military Contracts

The exercise reflects the Pentagon’s growing reliance on venture-backed defense firms, as investors have poured billions into companies such as Anduril, Shield AI and Saronic since Russia’s 2022 invasion. Systems on show included Anduril’s Ghost drone, a radar and camera detector from Teledyne FLIR, the Bullfrog automated machine gun from Allen Control Systems, and an interceptor drone from Powerus, which went public Thursday through a merger with a company backed by sons of President Donald Trump.