Drone activity at U.S.-Mexico border drops 75% after U.S. uses laser weapon, military says

September 7, 2026 / 9:27 AM EDT / CBS News

McAllen, Texas — Less than two weeks after the military first used a high-energy laser weapon system to down suspicious drones, military officials told CBS News there has been a roughly 75% decrease in the number of drones probing the southern border in the Rio Grande Valley.

The system made its debut by taking down three drones on Aug. 25 and 26 after months of training that included an episode that caused the Federal Aviation Administration to briefly shut down El Paso's airport earlier this year. Since then, military officials told CBS News there is regular coordination with the FAA to ensure the laser does not pose a risk to civilians.

The U.S. military already has tools that use jamming to send some of the dozens of drones that appear daily back to where they came from, but the laser gives the option to bring a drone down if it is a suspected threat. Since the beginning of the year, the military has stopped 300 drones officials say are linked to cartels, including eleven the laser took down over a span of ten days.

"When you just send it back…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/