U.S. Army Is Tests Counter-Drone Weapons at Mexican Border: Almost 400 Incursions Were Detected in 30 Days.

The U.S. Army is testing a new generation of counter-drone weapons along the border with Mexico as military officials continue to report hundreds of incursions by unmanned aircraft linked to cartel smuggling and surveillance operations.

During a U.S. Northern Command exercise held in Arizona in September, soldiers tested and observed technology designed to detect and disable small drones, Reuters detailed.

The exercise comes as the military reports a sharp rise in drone activity near the southern border. Brigadier General Brian Filler, deputy commander for operations at Joint Task Force Southern Border, said the military detected 378 drone incursions over 30 days, with activity continuing to increase.

"We are seeing largely commercial off-the-shelf available drones," Filler told reporters. Officials said the aircraft are generally commercially available systems rather than sophisticated military drones.

Many carry cameras and are believed to be used by criminal organizations to monitor law enforcement movements and support drug smuggling, human trafficking and other cross-border operations.

The U.S. military has already begun using weapons against some of those aircraft. Since laser counter-drone technology was deployed along the border in August, military forces have shot down 11 cartel drones, U.S. officials said.

The growing threat is also allowing the Pentagon to test technology under operational conditions while applying lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, where inexpensive drones have dramatically changed modern warfare.

Military officials stressed that the cartel-operated drones encountered along the Mexican border are not comparable to the more advanced systems being deployed in Ukraine or the Middle East.

The border, however, provides an environment where soldiers can train with emerging technology and defense companies can see how their systems perform outside controlled testing facilities.

Among the technology demonstrated at Falcon Peak was Anduril's Ghost drone, along with a radar-and-camera detection system from Teledyne FLIR. Allen Control Systems demonstrated its "Bullfrog" automated counter-drone gun, while Powerus showcased an interceptor drone.

Companies including Anduril, Shield AI and Saronic have emerged alongside smaller startups seeking Pentagon contracts as the military looks for systems that can be developed and modified more rapidly than traditional weapons programs.

The Pentagon is also expanding its use of unmanned technology elsewhere along the southern border. Autonomous surveillance boats are already being tested on the Rio Grande, where officials say the vessels have helped detect illegal crossings and narcotics trafficking. Defense officials are considering expanding that fleet and eventually deploying similar systems in the Gulf of Mexico.

For Army officials, Ukraine has demonstrated not only the effectiveness of drones but the importance of adapting technology quickly as adversaries change tactics. "We tend to look at Ukraine and we say, 'I am so impressed with how quickly they can adapt on a daily or weekly basis,'" Brigadier General Matt Ross told reporters. "What we should really do is replicate that process."