U.S. Military Deploys Anti-Drone Radars To Counter Cartels' Expanding Arsenal
The U.S. military has deployed advanced ground-based radar systems along the southern border to enhance detection and tracking of drones used by Mexican drug cartels, according to specialized defense-industry news site The War Zone (TWZ).
The report comes a day after the Navy assigned a guided-missile destroyer, the USS Gravely, to U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) operations supporting border security, a rare deployment for a vessel of its type in this region.The Department of Defense released pictures of the deployment earlier on Tuesday showing members of the Army's 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum in New York State, training with the AN/TPQ-53 and AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radars in Arizona.
These radars, typically used in artillery and air defense roles, are now part of a broader mission to detect uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), which cartels increasingly use for surveillance, smuggling, and attacks. "HHB Divarty 10th Mountain Division raise their drone detection capabilities at the southern border," a Department of Defense photo caption reads, underscoring cooperation between U.S. Northern Command and the Department of Homeland Security.