Joint Task Force-Southern Border used an Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser system to engage and defeat three drones it classified as hostile, according to a task force release. The operation involved an Army AMP-HEL system and took place under U.S. Northern Command in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The task force said the unmanned aircraft posed a physical threat to U.S. military personnel and Customs and Border Protection members. The account identifies the drones as hostile, but does not provide details about the circumstances that led personnel to make that determination.
The task force did not disclose the precise location where the drones were engaged. It also did not identify anyone suspected of operating them. Its statement suggested that the aircraft may have been used for reconnaissance by a drug cartel, but did not establish who controlled the drones or provide details about the alleged surveillance.
Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commander of Joint Task Force-Southern Border, said cartel networks are increasingly employing unmanned aircraft to support illicit human-smuggling and spy on military personnel and law-enforcement partners. He described the laser system as part of a layered countermeasure approach.
The operation places an Army-developed directed-energy system in a reported border mission involving aircraft the task force considered a threat. The AMP-HEL designation identifies the Army program associated with the system, while AeroVironment said the equipment used was one of its non-kinetic counter-drone systems developed through that program.
AeroVironment did not identify the specific system involved. The public account therefore establishes the Army AMP-HEL connection and the company’s role, but does not identify the exact equipment configuration used during the operation.
The task force also did not disclose whether the laser system was mounted on a vehicle or deployed from another platform. That leaves the system’s mounting and positioning undisclosed. The task force’s release did not provide further technical details about how the system was employed during the operation.
The account describes one operation involving three drones rather than providing separate details for each aircraft. It does not specify when or where each drone was engaged, how long the operation lasted, or whether the aircraft were encountered together or at different times.
The task force’s release said the mission was conducted under U.S. Northern Command and in support of Customs and Border Protection. That command relationship distinguishes the event from an Army-only operation, even though the weapon system came from an Army program and was used by task force personnel.
The use of the AMP-HEL system also signals the application of a directed-energy counter-drone capability in a mission involving military and civilian border personnel. The task force characterized the drones as a physical threat and said the system defeated them, while leaving the location, suspected operators, mounting, and other operational circumstances undisclosed.
Breaking Defense reported the operation based on the Joint Task Force-Southern Border release and statements from AeroVironment.