# The Army used a 20-kilowatt laser to take out three drones

https://mins.news/en/item/42231

- Ars Technica, 2026-09-02 13:04 UTC
- Tech
- Original: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/09/the-army-just-used-a-20-kilowatt-laser-to-take-out-three-drones/

> This week, the US Army shot down three drones near Texas’s Rio Grande Valley with a high-energy multipurpose laser. Officials said the drones posed a physical threat to military personnel and Customs and Border Patrol partners. The operation was led by the Joint Task Force Southern Border and used technology from the Army’s AMP-HEL program, including the vehicle-mounted Locust Laser Weapon System.

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- [Lasers down 11 cartel drones along southern border, US military says](https://mins.news/en/item/45699) — Reuters, 2026-09-04
- [US uses laser to shoot down cartel-linked drones on Mexico border for first time](https://mins.news/en/item/43808) — TASS, 2026-09-03