Army tests counter-drone tech with 21 firms

The U.S. Army is testing counter-drone systems in Arizona as military officials report rising drone activity near the U.S.-Mexico border, including 378 incursions detected in a 30-day period. At the Falcon Peak exercise, defense companies demonstrated tools such as radar, interceptor drones, lasers and autonomous guns to detect and disable small aircraft. Officials say cartel-linked drones are generally commercially available models used for surveillance and support of smuggling and other cross-border crimes, not systems comparable to advanced battlefield drones used in Ukraine or the Middle East. The military says it has downed 11 cartel-operated drones with laser technology since August, while using the border environment to train troops and evaluate defenses under realistic conditions.