The US Army used a high-energy laser system this week to shoot down three drones near the US-Mexico border, according to Wired. The drones were described in official reports cited by Wired as posing a physical threat to US military personnel and CBP partners. Wired reports that the operation took place between the night of August 25 and the early morning of August 26 near the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. It was led by Joint Task Force Southern Border, which operates under US Northern Command. The system used technology derived from the Army’s High-Energy Multipurpose Laser program, according to Wired. The article identifies the platform as AeroVironment’s Locust Laser Weapon System, a vehicle-mountable directed-energy weapon tied to the Army’s counter-drone work. The Locust system operates at 20 kilowatts, according to Wired. It uses a concentrated beam of light, together with sensing and targeting components, to detect, track, illuminate, damage, or destroy targets at range. Wired describes the basic mechanism as a precision beam that is held on a moving object long enough to generate heat and damage or disable it, depending on distance, exposure time, and target characteristics. Locust’s most recent versions also include radar and command-and-control systems, Wired reports. The outlet says those additions make it easier to integrate the weapon into a more complex mobile defense platform rather than using it only as a standalone device. The most important unknowns are still unresolved. Wired says authorities have not disclosed the exact location of the engagement, the origin of the drones, or who operated them. Curtis Taylor, commander of JTF-SB, suggested in a press release that the aircraft could be connected to criminal cells involved in drug trafficking and operations in Mexican territory, while also saying cartel networks are using unmanned aircraft systems for smuggling support and surveillance of personnel and law enforcement partners. Who benefits: The directly described beneficiaries are the military personnel and CBP partners whom official reports cited by Wired said were facing a physical threat. Who's exposed: The story does not establish who operated the drones, so exposure beyond the neutralized aircraft is too early to assess.