WSJ: Trump's fight against drug trafficking is boosting defense startups
US President Donald Trump's fight against drug trafficking from Latin America has opened up major opportunities for defense startups that have adapted military technologies to counter-narcotics operations, News.Az reports, citing The Wall Street Journal.
"They (defense startups - ed. ) have repurposed their drones, sensors, artificial intelligence tools, and data processing platforms into specialized tools for Trump's fight against 'narco-terrorism,'" the article says.
As the US campaign intensifies in the Caribbean and on its southern border, demand for drones, sensors, and artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly growing, the authors of the article note.
Shield AI drones were used in a record seizure of 60,000 pounds of cocaine, and their V-BAT model, according to the Coast Guard, "seized more than $1 billion worth of drugs."
The Southern Command notes a growing demand for "testing grounds for robotic and unmanned systems." The army is purchasing new drone-jamming systems, including Ukrainian-developed Moodro.
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