SAN DIEGO — Customs and Border Protection agents will soon have a new high-tech tool made by Citadel Defense to stop illegal drone use along the U.S., Mexico border.
Christopher Williams’ company, Citadel Defense, builds the Titan V3 Drone, a device capable of taking down other drones with malicious intentions.
“We have it set up where the operator can select one button, and drones will be defeated and pulled out of the sky,” he said.
Customs and Border Protection is the latest in a line of government agencies to buy the latest technology. The goal is to secure the border with a virtual wall along with a physical one.
“Drones are being used by the cartel to drop or bring drugs over the border and illegal weapons. What we've developed is tech that helps agents counter that threat,” said Williams.
Increasingly, drones are also used at the border to gather intel on patrols and agents. Citadel aims to stay ahead of them all by using artificial intelligence to learn and stop even the latest models.
While the mission of Citadel is to pull drones down, Williams stressed the company is not anti-drone.
“You also want to make sure you're getting the good value from drones which could be transporting organs. You want to make sure there’s not a conflict from rogue drones possibly interfering with those in sky,” he said.
CBP said the technology will not only be used at locations along the border like San Diego, but also statewide in California.