[pjc50]

Alternative hypothesis: the reported number of drones isn't real (anything the Trump government says about "cartels" can be assumed to be made up). The military got increasingly on alert, with senior officers pushing to get a shootdown on one of the not real drones. Therefore the laser operators end up firing on the first drone they confirm seeing.

Compare the MH-17 incident. See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatwick_Airport_drone_incident , which also involved no confirmed actual drone.

[sidewndr46]

isn't this more comparable to the incident where a US Navy ship shot down an Iranian aircraft. They somehow convinced themselves it was a lone attack aircraft coming to intercept them:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

[t-3]

Drones are not perfectly reasonable when semi-trucks filled with literal tons of drugs pass the border every day. They are used to smuggle drugs into prisons, but not really any better than the old hollow tennis ball trick and more trackable as well.

[iso1631]

Yet the US government can't seem to parade the hundreds of drones they are surely catching with the new operating model?

It seems 100% of the drones they have shot down are US government ones.

Which is it

1) US government is deliberately avoiding the cartel ones

2) US government is completely incompetent and the cartel outmatch the might of the US military

3) The cartel isn't actually using drones

4) The US government have shot down dozens of drones but are keeping quiet about it