YUMA, ARIZONA — The Pentagon's counter-drone task force tested a defensive system in mid-May near the southern border, which included a two-day evaluation at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona. The system, known as SkyValor, was subsequently approved for use across the military.

Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) and other federal agencies used SkyValor against aerial targets during the test. Officials stated the system is capable of long-range targeting and 24/7 automated sensing against unmanned aerial threats. The validation occurred alongside Joint Task Force-Southern Border and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

SkyValor is a counter-UAS detect and defeat system developed by CACI International. The system can detect and defeat drones ranging from small first-person view systems to UAS the military considers to be in the largest group of platforms. CACI describes SkyValor as using "non-kinetic" jamming to engage targets from distances over 40 miles in some situations.

The system also employs several tracking and defeat mechanisms. These include nets designed to capture drones from nearly four miles away and radio frequency jammers that use "automated sense and shoot algorithms," according to CACI. Military officials have indicated that "low-collateral" interceptors are important for defeating drones. According to CACI, SkyValor can operate autonomously around the clock from any location and appears to run on a mobile trailer system.

Officials stated that the system adds to the counter-drone systems the Pentagon is deploying to the U.S.-Mexico border. JIATF-401 has contributed at least hundreds of millions of dollars into domestic counter-drone employment. Concerns about unmanned aerial system incursions across the U.S.-Mexico border and over critical installations are said to boost this effort.

Lieutenant Colonel Alejandro Elizalde, the southern border team lead for the JIATF-401 response division, spoke about the collaborative effort. "A whole-of-government approach is crucial to maintain a strong counter-drone defense across all 1,954 miles of the southern border." Elizalde said. The task force has continued to coordinate with various federal agencies, including CBP and the Federal Aviation Administration. The test was announced in a press release on June 7.

No independent assessment was available for this report.