01Regional Threat Map
02Incident Feed
03Weaponized Platforms
DJI Mavic 3
Range ~15 km · Endurance 45 min · Mass 895 g · Folding quadcopter. Cheap, available, easily modified to release 40 mm grenades, mortar rounds, or improvised explosive payloads.
DJI Matrice 300 RTK
Range 15 km · Endurance 55 min · Mass ~6.3 kg · Industrial-grade airframe with up to 2.7 kg payload. Used for larger munitions, multi-round drops, and reportedly chemical-agent dispersal in Michoacán (April 2024).
Autel EVO II Pro
Range 9 km · Endurance 40 min · Mass 1.2 kg · 6K sensor for ISR. Increasingly substituted where DJI geofencing or supply has been disrupted.
FPV quadcopter (DIY)
Range 1–3 km · Endurance 5–15 min · Mass 500–900 g · 5" quad on Ardupilot/PX4. Cheap, expendable, fastest-growing class. Tactics imported directly from the Ukrainian battlefield via training pipelines.
Shahed-136 derivative · Zamora V-1
State-fielded loitering munition modeled on the Iranian Shahed-136. Introduced 2024 as part of Caracas's transition from ISR to expendable strike — first regional example of this class. Not yet observed in VNSA hands.
Mohajer-6
Iranian medium-altitude long-endurance strike UAV supplied to Venezuela since 2020. Capable of carrying Qaem precision-guided munitions. The arrival of this class is the strongest signal of extra-regional military penetration in the hemisphere.
04Capabilities & Investment Tracker
Domestic Manufacturers
Xmobots — Nauru 1000C / 500C
BR · OperationalBrazilian Army surveillance & ISR. VTOL fixed-wing, 10h endurance. Cooperation with MBDA on armed variant suggests imminent strike capability.
Stella Tecnologia — Atobá / Condor
BR · In developmentMALE-class. Condor (Atobá XR) under development as hunter-killer with 40h endurance, 350 kg payload, 23,000 ft ceiling.
Hydra Technologies — S55 Ares
MX · In developmentAspirational MALE / BVLOS with optional guided munitions and missile integration. Marketed for persistent ISR and ground attack.
CIAC — DRAGOM
CO · Fielded 2025Multirotor UAV unveiled at F-AIR 2025. Built entirely in Colombia. ~US$30k unit cost — ~20% below imports. Latent attack profile cited (mortar/grenade).
INVAP — RUAS-160
AR · PrototypeCoaxial rotary-wing UAS, modular multi-mission. Up to 600 km range, 80 kg payload. Dual-use civilian/defense.
IACIT — DRONEBlocker / Army SCE-0100
BR · C-UASMulti-sensor C-UAS with RF/EO/acoustic/radar fusion. SCE-0100 announced 2025 as national anti-drone system integrated under SISFRON border surveillance.
Investment & Procurement Signals
Colombia — National C-UAS line
COP 500 bnAllocated for counter-drone acquisition (military bases & critical infrastructure). Referenced by Cdr. Adm. Cubides Granados in a public appearance, Sept 2025.
Colombia — Drone & counter-drone law
Bill filed Jul 2025MinDefensa / MinTIC introduced legislation regulating import, manufacture, marketing, possession, and use of drones and C-UAS. Penal Code amendments for terrorist drone use.
Colombia — UAS battalion
Standing upDedicated army battalion announced Sept 2025. Mandate: develop operational doctrine and absorb C-UAS hardware.
Brazil — BIRDS consortium
Launched Sept 2024Speedbird Aero + High Lander + Cando. Authorized by DECEA to use BR-UTM. First commercial C-UAS service operator in the region.
Argentina — Classified C-UAS buy
2025Ministry of Security procurement of classified anti-drone system. Driven by smuggling, terrorism, and prison contraband concerns.
Mexico — SEDENA / SEMAR R&D push
Announced Sept 2025Coordinated R&D effort with national research institutions. SPARTAAM (Navy) ship-integrated ISR platform; SEDENA prototypes.
Venezuela — Iran/Russia cooperation
Pact ratified Sep 2025Bilateral cooperation agreement with Russia covering security, defense, and tech. Builds on existing Iranian transfers (Mohajer-6, Shahed derivatives, ANSU series). Largest extra-regional drone penetration in the hemisphere.
Foreign C-UAS in service
Import-dependentCrow (ES, used at COP16 CO), DroneGun Tactical (AU, BR & AR), Drone Dome (IL, AR G20/Youth Olympics), Sentrycs (IL, LatAm-wide), NQ Defense (MX).
05Illicit Finance Nexus
Venezuela
The petro (PTR) collapsed in 2024 but crypto remains central to the regime's illicit economy. U.S. investigations have linked digital currencies to the illegal oil trade and Russia-routed value transfer. Venezuela's crypto market grew 110% in a single year — the highest rate in Latin America.
+110% YoYCartel Laundering
Major TCOs incorporate crypto into financial ops to launder billions, evade sanctions, and procure weapons and drones without leaving a conventional financial trail. Many regional exchanges still lack strict KYC. A 2021 São Paulo investigation traced a single PCC transaction worth ~US$7.8M tied to leadership succession.
US$7.8M · single traceState Crypto Experiments
El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021; more than a dozen senior Bukele administration figures have since been U.S.-sanctioned. Paraguay pursued similar ventures while remaining a recognized money-laundering hub. Both create permissive environments for downstream criminal use.
Legal-tender BTC: SV06Regulatory Comparison
| USA | Brazil | Mexico | Argentina | Colombia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drones as aircraft | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Classification logic | Weight / impact | Class 1/2/3 (weight) | Micro/Small/Large | Open/Specific/Cert. | Open/Specific/Cert. |
| Remote ID operational | Operational | Piloting (BR-UTM) | Not yet | In RAAC 101 | In RAC 100 |
| UTM backbone | LAANC nationwide | BR-UTM piloting | None | Planned | Planned |
| BVLOS framework | Waiver-driven | Authorized w/ design | Authorized w/ permit | Open path | Authorized w/ systems |
| Indigenous C-UAS industry | Mature | Emerging (IACIT) | Import-dependent | Import-dependent | Import-dependent |
| C-UAS legal authority | DOD/DOJ/DHS/DOE | DECEA + military | Fragmented | Security forces | Police + military |
| Mandatory insurance | No | >250g non-rec | Commercial | Specific/Certified | Specific/Delivery |
| Counter-terror drone statute | Federal | General penal | Gap | Gap | Bill in Congress |