GoKawiilUS Army downs three drones near Texas border using 20kW Locust laser system
The US Army's Joint Task Force Southern Border used a high-energy laser weapon to destroy three drones near the Rio Grande Valley overnight on August 25-26, after officials said the drones threatened military and Customs and Border Patrol personnel. The weapon involved is the Locust Laser Weapon System, built on AeroVironment's AMP-HEL technology and delivered to the Army starting September 2025, with additional units following in December.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
This marks a real-world combat use of vehicle-mounted directed-energy weapons on US soil, showing the military is moving laser defense systems out of testing and into operational border security. As drone incursions near sensitive areas increase, cheap, reusable laser interceptors could become a preferred alternative to costly missiles for neutralizing small aerial threats.
- The US Army used a 20-kilowatt laser to destroy three drones near the Texas border in late August.
- The weapon, called Locust, stems from AeroVironment's AMP-HEL program and was delivered to the Army in phases starting September 2025.
- The incident demonstrates growing military reliance on directed-energy weapons for countering drone threats along US borders.
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Published there as: “The Army just used a 20-kilowatt laser to take out three drones”
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