The U.S. military will test a high-energy laser weapon at White Sands Missile Range, designed to disable drones.

The Merops system uses a roughly $15,000 reusable interceptor drone, giving the US a cheaper air defense option against Iran's Shahed drones.

After two high-profile incidents, the US Defense Department and Federal Aviation Administration are planning a joint test of a laser system this weekend designed to shoot down drones, according to a statement from the military.

U.S. Army Sgt. Javon Purchner, a 13F Joint Fire Support Specialist with the 1st Cavalry Division, was named the Army’s first Best

The U.S. military used a laser Thursday to shoot down a “seemingly threatening” drone flying near the U.S.-Mexico border. It turned out the drone belonged to Customs and Border Protection, lawmakers said.

The drone's development comes as the Pentagon pushes to procure and field inexpensive drones to keep pace with adversaries.

The apparent friendly fire incident prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to quickly close some airspace near the border.

Soldiers faced off in a mid-February competition to find the best drone operators. The Army has noticed that gamers often do it best.

Beskrestnov warned that interceptor drones may "turn out to be useless" in the next phase, calling for new research into countering faster Shaheds.

The Army on Tuesday released the names of the four U.S. service members initially killed after an Iranian drone struck the tactical operations center they were working from in Kuwait. Capt. Cody A. Khork,