Pentagon and FAA agree to test anti-drone lasers at White Sands

Pentagon and FAA agree on New Mexico anti-drone laser tests

The Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration have agreed to conduct anti-drone laser tests at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on Saturday and Sunday, following recent counter-drone laser activity near the U.S.-Mexico border that led the FAA to close airspace in Texas, the Pentagon and FAA said.

In a statement, the military said the newly announced testing was scheduled to “specifically address FAA safety concerns.” The Pentagon described the tests as a response to FAA safety issues raised after the earlier laser deployments.

Lawmakers have said the apparent problem was not the presence of the technology but the level of coordination between agencies that share responsibility for operations affecting the national airspace. In February, the federal agency that oversees aviation safety decided to close airspace over El Paso for a few hours after the Pentagon allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to use an anti-drone laser without notifying the FAA.

The Trump administration said at the time that it was working to halt an incursion by Mexican cartel drones along the southern border. On Feb. 26, lawmakers said the U.S. military used the laser to shoot down a “seemingly threatening” drone flying near the border, but that the drone belonged to Customs and Border Protection.

The Feb. 26 incident led the FAA to close the airspace around Fort Hancock, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of El Paso. Lawmakers said the pattern of closures and counter-drone laser use highlighted a lack of coordination, including concerns that the military did not meet its requirement to notify the FAA before conducting counter-drone actions inside U.S. airspace.

In the FAA’s separate statement about the upcoming tests, the agency said it “appreciate[d] the coordination with the Department of War to help ensure public safety.” The FAA added that “the FAA and DOW are working with interagency partners to address emerging threats posed by unmanned aircraft systems while maintaining the safety of the National Airspace System.”

Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the ranking member on the Senate’s Aviation Subcommittee, previously called for an independent investigation after the two February airspace incidents involving laser use.