The U.S. military has used high-energy laser weapons to shoot down 11 cartel-linked drones in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley since late August.

The lasers, mounted on Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, are operated by the military, while Border Patrol separately uses signal-based jammers to disable drones.

Border Patrol officials say cartels have increasingly sophisticated drones for surveillance and for remotely guiding migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Officials also recently discovered a cartel-linked drone capable of carrying a payload, raising concerns about the potential uses of the technology, News Nation has reported.

Military officials say the deployment has coincided with about a 75% decline in detected drones in the Rio Grande Valley, while 300 drones have reportedly been defeated along the southern border nationwide this year.