US and Mexico target illicit drones along shared border

Operation High Eagle pairs ground tracking with interception systems as defense agencies respond to cartel aerial networks.

Military forces in the United States and Mexico have begun a coordinated campaign to track and disable unmanned aircraft operated by criminal organizations along the international boundary.¹ The bilateral initiative, designated Operation High Eagle or Águila Alta, expands on earlier evaluations of counter-drone hardware conducted along the perimeter separating the two countries.¹

Initial field actions occurred between August 31 and September 2 along the border dividing San Diego and Tijuana.¹ Personnel from both national militaries operated simultaneously from their own territories, locating commercial remote-controlled aircraft flown by illicit syndicates.¹ A second phase, focused on disabling the identified aircraft with fixed and mobile systems, began on September 7 and is scheduled to continue through September 21.¹

Public disclosures from Mexico's Secretariat of National Defense, known as SEDENA, omitted the exact tactical hardware deployed in the mission.¹ US Northern Command indicated that the interdiction effort could incorporate high-energy laser weapons.¹ Such systems concentrate intense beams of light to detect, monitor, illuminate, impair, or obliterate unmanned targets at long distances.¹

American land forces have acquired one such vehicular platform, termed the Locust system, produced by defense contractor AeroVironment.¹ The manufacturer transferred the initial pair of working prototypes to the military in September of last year.¹ Official statements have not verified whether Locust hardware is operating in High Eagle, but bilateral accords have expanded Mexican access to comparable gear.¹

Under an agreement concluded last month between SEDENA and the US Department of Defense, Mexican armed forces gained access to the US Army digital exchange to purchase counter-drone systems at discounted prices.¹ Officials from both administrations described the transaction and the active field maneuvers as measures to curb organized crime networks, with special emphasis on stopping drug and human smuggling.¹

The joint maneuvers follow an escalation in airborne cartel activity reported by American military authorities. US Northern Command disclosed that it neutralized roughly 300 illicit drones during the first eight months of the year.¹ One-third of those destructions occurred in August alone, and American forces confirmed that 11 targeted aircraft in recent weeks belonged to narcotics cartels.¹

The operational framework originated within the US-Mexico Bilateral Implementation Group, a diplomatic body coordinating regional security policy.¹ SEDENA stated that the cooperative mission was designed to protect communities on both sides of the frontier while maintaining national autonomy and "prioritizing the interests of the Mexican State at all times."¹

Diplomatic leadership framed the initiative as a permanent shift in border defense coordination. Ronald Johnson, the US ambassador to Mexico, stated that the pact would enhance both nations' capacity to confront cartel syndicates and handle shared cross-border security issues.¹

Reporting note: this piece draws on reporting published by WIRED en Español on September 11, 2026, based on announcements from the US Department of Defense, US Northern Command, and the Secretariat of National Defense of Mexico.

Source: Secretariat of National Defense and US Northern Command via WIRED, September 11, 2026.

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1. 1 FG Fernanda González Document · wired.com · 11 Sep 2026 The US and Mexico Announce They’re Teaming Up Against Drones See the source