Drug Drone Activity Drops 75 Percent After US Laser Use
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Center 50%
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What happened
U.S. military officials told CBS News that drone activity along the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley fell by roughly 75 percent after troops began using a vehicle-mounted high-energy laser system. The system was first used on August 25 and 26, when three drones were taken down; officials said it later downed 11 drones over a 10-day span, part of about 300 drones stopped since the start of the year that were believed linked to Mexican cartels. Before lasers, troops jammed drones and sent them back into Mexico. During initial use, the military accidentally shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone near El Paso, Texas, prompting an FAA airspace closure; officials said coordination with the FAA has since improved. The Army awarded AeroVironment a $465 million contract for the lasers.
Sourcing check · Fully on the record · 3 articles
2 of 2 articles cite a named source for the story. It was on the record from the first report, credited to CBS News. Most articles credit CBS News rather than reporting it themselves.
What these terms mean and how they're counted
- On the record · names a source 2 of 2
- On the record means the article cites a source by name for the story's main claim: a person, or an institution speaking officially, such as a company statement or a named agency's spokesperson. The opposite is an unnamed source. The count is how many of the counted articles cite at least one such source; the names are everyone named across them, each once however the articles spell it. Here: Army Col. Robert Felicio, Army Lt. Owen Farquer and U.S. military officials
- Primary evidence · cites a document or data 0 of 2
- Primary evidence means the article cites a record you could check yourself: a court filing or ruling, a dataset or report, a recording or transcript, an official statement or press release, market data. A quote is not a document. The count is how many articles cite one. Here: None cited.
- Credits another outlet 1 of 2
- The article says the story comes from another outlet's reporting (“first reported by Reuters”). Those articles relay the story; they are not independent confirmation. Here: CBS News
- Unnamed sources 0 of 2
- The main claim is attributed to people who are not identified: “people familiar with the matter”, “officials said”. The count is how many articles do this.
- How it developed
- When the first report landed and whether it named anyone; when the first named source and the first document appeared. Here: First report Sep 8, 12:04 UTC by Daily Wire, crediting CBS News, naming its source.
- Not counted 1
- Opinion, analysis and video pieces, and articles too short to assess. Every count above is out of the counted articles. An article republished under a new headline is one article.
This is about who is cited, not whether the story is true. Each source below says what it names. How we count
BLINDSPOT.
Only right-leaning outlets are covering this story
— the other side's media is silent.
Omitted — what each side leaves out
Unpacked
Left-leaning coverage has not reported this story at all, so those readers would not know U.S. officials claim drone activity fell 75 percent after a laser weapon was used in Texas. Right-leaning coverage reports the decline in the Rio Grande Valley and attributes it to the new system. Daily Wire also notes that cartels using new routes may explain part of the drop, a qualifier that changes whether the laser is the sole cause.
Right-leaning coverage is uneven on extras, with Washington Examiner skipping the route-change caveat and an accidental shootdown of a Customs and Border Protection drone near El Paso. Those points appear in Daily Wire, which also quotes an officer calling the new approach a "game changer."
What independent count of drone flights was used to produce the percentage, and over which dates?
Bottom line
Left-leaning outlets have not carried this story. The circulating account is Daily Wire's 75 percent drop, already tagged with a CBS note that cartels may have changed routes.
The receipts — 5 facts one side's coverage lacks
- Military officials reported a 75% drop in drone activity in Texas's Rio Grande Valley after a laser weapon was deployed
- American troops have stopped 300 drones believed to be linked to Mexican cartels since the start of the year
- The laser took down 11 drones over a 10-day period
- The Army awarded a $465 million high-energy laser contract to AeroVironment
- Before the laser, the U.S. military jammed drones and sent them back into Mexico rather than destroying them
The Right View
Daily Wire and Washington Examiner, drawing on CBS News reporting, present the 75 percent drop as a significant operational result of the laser rollout in the Rio Grande Valley. They quote Army Col. Robert Felicio on a “significant” impact and Army Lt. Col. Ray Richards on disruption to cartel finances from the reduced drone capability. Coverage describes soldiers operating the lasers with Xbox controllers and tablets, notes that destroying drones is treated as more lasting than jamming them, and cites an NCITE report of 221 cartel drone assassination attacks in Mexico from 2021 to 2025 resulting in 77 deaths. They also report the accidental CBP drone shoot-down, prior FAA closures, and the $465 million AeroVironment contract. CBS News itself reported the military’s account of the activity drop after laser use.
Our Take (balanced)
The story is moderately substantive: it includes named officers, specific dates (August 25–26), concrete figures (75 percent, 300 drones year-to-date, 11 laser shoot-downs in 10 days, a $465 million contract), a named contractor, and an acknowledged friendly-fire incident with FAA involvement. What is established is that military officials made these claims to CBS News and that right-leaning outlets amplified that reporting; independent public data confirming the 75 percent decline, cartel attribution of every drone, or the financial impact on cartels is not in the coverage provided. No left-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch next for official DoD or CBP releases, FAA records on the El Paso closures, contract documentation, and whether additional outlets or datasets corroborate the activity drop.
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