DHS to Test ‘Surveillance’ Drones at the US-Canada Border

The US Department of Homeland Security, in partnership with Defense Research and Development Canada, is set to deploy autonomous drones and vehicles along the US-Canada border this fall, assessing which technologies can transmit surveillance video and sensor data between the two nations using commercial 5G networks.

A recent DHS call for participants outlines the experiment, termed ACE-CASPER, as a multi-day exercise “simulating a national emergency response scenario,” with drones and ground vehicles providing live feeds to a bi-national command-and-control center while traversing the border. The autonomy of the vehicles, the document states, is secondary to its main goal: showcasing “resilient, persistent 5G communications.”

DHS and DRDC have yet to respond to inquiries for comments.

Taking place in November, these tests will mark the first collaborative US-Canada cross-border technology experiment in almost a decade. From 2011 to 2017, the two nations conducted five cross-border drills under a program named CAUSE, evaluating whether emergency responders could effectively share radios, video, and data across the border.

Though framed around public safety, search and rescue, and emergency response, DHS outlines many of the capabilities to be tested using martial language, asking vendors to demonstrate the capacity of autonomous vehicles to gather “real-time battlefield intelligence.” The targeted aerial platforms are identified as “Command and Control: Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance” systems—or C2ISR—a term borrowed from the US Department of Defense, associated with enhancing “kill chains.”

DHS publicized the drone trials via government procurement channels by the department’s research and development division, the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), in collaboration with its Canadian counterpart, Defense Research and Development Canada.

The directorate serves as the technical core of the US federal government’s domestic counter-drone initiatives following a reorganization under an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in 2025. Recently, S&T’s National Urban Security Technology Laboratory launched a counter-drone purchasing guide aimed at assisting police and emergency response organizations in the Washington, DC, area and the 11 US states hosting FIFA World Cup matches this summer.

That same executive order also prioritized the procurement of American-made drones and reserved government contracting opportunities for domestic companies, significantly expanding the market for the US drone industry. This was further bolstered by a recent Federal Communications Commission ruling that prevents new foreign-made drones from accessing US wireless networks.

The pool of companies capable of responding to the call for the November trials includes various vendors connected to the president’s elder sons.

Powerus Corporation, a Florida-based drone manufacturer that recently merged with a golf course company backed by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., is one such entity. Anduril Industries, which received investment from Trump Jr.’s firm last year, develops a range of drones designed for battlefield surveillance for the Pentagon and holds the largest border-security contract with DHS: a $1.1 billion deal to deploy AI-powered surveillance towers along the southern border.

“Powerus welcomes any initiative from DHS to enhance border security through advanced autonomous systems,” says Powerus cofounder Brett Velicovich to WIRED. “Protecting American borders is precisely the mission our technology was designed for, and we are encouraged to see the government acting swiftly in this direction.”

Unusual Machines, a drone-components manufacturer based in Orlando, Florida, where Trump Jr. previously advised and owns stock worth approximately $4.4 million today, does not directly sell to the government, according to a company spokesperson, but supplies those who do.

Israeli drone maker Xtend, now backed by Eric Trump, also established a Tampa, Florida, headquarters in summer 2025 and announced a multi-million-dollar contract from a Pentagon special-operations office last fall. Xtend has declined to comment on requests from WIRED.