GoKawiil
Tech News
Mexico's SEDENA and US Northern Command announced Operation High Eagle, a binational effort to track and neutralize drones used by criminal groups near the San Diego-Tijuana border. The first phase ran August 31 to September 2, with tracking of commercial drones, followed by neutralization tests using fixed and mobile anti-drone systems from September 7 through September 21.
The US Army's Joint Task Force Southern Border used a 20-kilowatt Locust Laser Weapon System to destroy three drones near the Rio Grande Valley overnight on August 25-26, after officials said the drones threatened military and border patrol personnel. The vehicle-mounted laser, derived from the Army's AMP-HEL program, was supplied by defense contractor AeroVironment, which delivered its first prototypes in September 2025 and expanded the fleet in December.
NASA currently has no confirmed new lander or rover missions to Mars, marking the first such gap in over three decades. Instead, the agency is prioritizing SkyFall, a trio of helicopters slated to launch as early as 2028 alongside the nuclear-powered Space Reactor-1 'Freedom' mission, which will test electric propulsion using the repurposed core of the canceled Gateway station. JPL is partnering with AeroVironment, the team behind the Ingenuity helicopter, to build the new aircraft, which will be slightly heavier and carry upgraded rotors.