US Army Uses 20-Kilowatt Laser to Shoot Down Three Drones

<p>This week, the US Army employed a high-energy multipurpose laser to shoot down three drones near the US-Mexico border. Official reports indicated that the drones were “posing a physical threat to US military personnel and CBP partners,” referring to Customs and Border Patrol.</p><p>The operation occurred between the night of August 25 and the early morning of August 26 in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. It was led by the Joint Task Force Southern Border (JTF-SB), which operates under US Northern Command. Authorities confirmed that agents utilized technology derived from the Army’s High-Energy Multipurpose Laser (AMP-HEL) system, a military program focused on implementing high-energy lasers for new defense capabilities.</p><p>Information suggests that this initiative began in September 2025, when AeroVironment, a company specializing in defense technology, delivered the first two functional prototypes of these laser-based weapons to the US Armed Forces. Two additional improved systems were delivered as the program expanded in December of the same year. According to the manufacturer, this platform, called the Locust Laser Weapon System, is designed to be mounted on military vehicles, as the Army has done with the versions it has received.</p>