US task force tests autonomous counter-drone system at southern border

The Joint Interagency Task Force 401, or JIATF-401, tested a new autonomous counter-drone system at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, near the US-Mexico border. The two-day evaluation of SkyValor, a long-range platform that can sense drones around the clock, proved successful and validated the system for operational use.

SkyValor uses non-kinetic methods, including electronic warfare, to disrupt or disable drones without physically shooting them down. JIATF-401 found the system could detect, track, identify, and defeat small uncrewed aerial systems at extended ranges. Jose Gonzalez, a Customs and Border Protection liaison officer embedded with JIATF-401, said, "Having an effective non-kinetic defeat option is a crucial component of strong, layered, counter-drone capabilities at the southern border." An Army-led effort, JIATF-401 was created to help the Pentagon and other federal agencies move faster on systems for detecting, tracking, and defeating small drones, and it replaced the Department of Defense's previous counter-drone force.

United States, Yuma

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