The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States announced on Thursday (February 26) that due to “special safety reasons,” temporary flight restrictions will be implemented in the airspace surrounding Fort Hancock, Texas, with the ban expected to last until June 24, 2026.
Congressional aides told Reuters that the Pentagon used a high-energy laser system to shoot down an unmanned drone belonging to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) near the US-Mexico border. The area frequently experiences incidents of unmanned drones controlled by Mexican drug cartels invading the airspace.
In a joint statement, the Pentagon, FAA, and CBP stated, “According to reports, the engagement occurred while the Department of War was utilizing anti-drone systems to address a potentially threatening unmanned aircraft operating within military airspace.”
“The incident occurred in a sparsely populated area with no civilian aircraft in the vicinity.” The statement pointed out that these agencies will continue to enhance cooperation and communication to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
A congressional aide mentioned that the Pentagon and CBP had believed they did not need prior approval from the FAA to deploy the laser system.
One aide stated that CBP had only recently deployed the laser system this month, successfully shooting down four unmanned drones suspected to be used by drug trafficking groups. However, the FAA had previously warned that the technology had not been approved for safe use in proximity to commercial flights. The aide added that relevant agencies had informed them that the laser system had never been deployed domestically in the United States before.
In fact, this is not the first time the two sides have disagreed.
Earlier this month, due to concerns about the laser system, the FAA had ordered the closure of the flight path near El Paso airport for a period of 10 days, only to retract the order within 8 hours after the Pentagon agreed to postpone testing to comply with safety reviews.
Several members of Congress expressed their dissatisfaction with the “friendly fire” incident.
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure released a statement on social media platform X, criticizing the decision-making for neglecting the necessity of enhancing personnel training and interdepartmental coordination.
Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, a member of the Senate Aviation Subcommittee, also called for a thorough investigation by the three major agencies.
Currently, flight restrictions around Fort Hancock remain in effect, only allowing authorized aerial medical or search and rescue missions by the Joint Task Force-Southern Border to enter.
Government agencies briefed congressional staff on the El Paso incident earlier this week, with plans to report to lawmakers as soon as next week.
(Source: Epoch Times)