SOUTHERN BORDER — On August 27 U.S. Southern Command reported that Joint Task Force-Southern Border personnel used the Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL) during the late-night hours of August 25 and 26 against three unmanned aircraft the command called hostile and cartel-linked.
The weapon is a directed-energy system. It burns or disables a target with a focused beam rather than a missile.
The aircraft were judged hostile, the command said, because they were used in direct support of activity posing a physical threat to U.S. military personnel and U.S. Customs and Border Protection partners.
