Army Tests Counter-Drone Trailer Near Border

Soldiers set up an Anduril Heimdal kit near Chaparral, New Mexico, as part of Joint Task Force-Southern Border's drone-interception efforts.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Military

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a lone mobile sensor mast on a trailer over open desert scrubland, evoking border drone-interception technology. — The U.S. Army tested an Anduril counter-drone trailer near Chaparral, New Mexico, as part of Joint Task Force-Southern Border's drone-interception efforts. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Troops from the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment placed an Anduril Heimdal Mobile Trailer Kit for testing near Chaparral, New Mexico, as part of Operation Ardent Vanguard. The system combines radar, thermal cameras and a 360-degree pan-and-tilt unit to detect and track drones.

Why it matters

The testing supports efforts to intercept suspected illegal drone flights near the southern border. Most drones crossing the border are commercial quadcopters used for reconnaissance in support of human trafficking, and no drone with a lethal payload has been confirmed crossing so far.

Joint Task Force-Southern Border recorded 378 drone detections in the 30 days before a Yuma Proving Ground exercise, with 75 turnbacks, 15 takedowns and one captured drone. The results of the Chaparral trailer testing have not been reported.

The players

Anduril

Anduril is a defense technology company that builds autonomous systems, including the Heimdal counter-drone kit and Anvil interceptor drones.

U.S. Northern Command

U.S. Northern Command is the Pentagon's combatant command responsible for homeland defense and military support to civil authorities in North America.

Joint Task Force-Southern Border

Joint Task Force-Southern Border is the military task force supporting border security operations along the U.S.-Mexico border under Operation Ardent Vanguard.

The details

Troops from the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Mobile Brigade Combat Team unloaded the trailer, which pairs Heimdal with Anduril's Anvil interceptor drones, the Pulsar electronic warfare system and the Wisp infrared sensor. U.S. Northern Command took delivery of the counter-drone kit in September 2025 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and an 11-person team used it for a week at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, to earn operational certification.

September 2025: Northern Command took delivery of the counter-drone kit at Eglin Air Force Base.
Late September 2025: Yuma Proving Ground counter-drone exercise ended.
Oct. 21, 2025: Heimdal had its first major deployment at Minot Air Force Base.
Oct. 21, 2026: Troops placed the trailer near Chaparral, New Mexico.

Roadmap

The Heimdal trailer testing extends Operation Ardent Vanguard, the military's support mission along the southern border, into counter-drone technology. It reflects a shift from detecting drones toward physically intercepting them as small unmanned aircraft become more common in border activity.

Residents near the southern border should be aware that the military is testing systems to intercept drones in their area. Official guidance on any restrictions or reporting channels has not been announced in the available information.

The takeaway

Small drones have become a practical security concern at the border, and the military is now testing dedicated counter-drone systems to address them. Whether these trailers move from testing into routine operations will show how seriously these threats are being treated.