By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon said on Friday they had signed an agreement allowing the government’s use of a high-energy laser counter-drone system along the southern U.S. border with Mexico.
The agreement came after the FAA conducted testing in New Mexico on the laser system used by the Pentagon and Homeland Security Department and validated that proper safety controls are in place and do not pose undue risks to passenger aircraft.
Two earlier incidents posed serious concerns.
The U.S. military errantly shot down a government drone with the laser-based system on February 25, leading the FAA to expand an area in which flights are barred around Fort Hancock, Texas.
The incident followed the February 18 decision by the FAA to halt all flights for 10 days at the nearby El Paso airport because of the use of the Pentagon laser system by a Homeland Security agency without completion of an FAA safety review. The El Paso shutdown order was lifted by the FAA after about eight hours following the White House’s intervention.
Late Friday, the FAA issued a notice to pilots warning them to use ADS-B OUT, or automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast, which transmits an aircraft’s location when flying within five nautical miles of the U.S.-Mexico border or “be impacted” by U.S. counter-drone technology.
The notice also urges U.S. drone operators to use caution when operating in the area, saying drones posing a threat could be destroyed.
“Following a thorough, data-informed Safety Risk Assessment, we determined that these systems do not present an increased risk to the flying public,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said on Friday.
The Pentagon has said there are more than 1,000 drone incursions along the U.S.-Mexico border each month. U.S. security officials have increasingly expressed alarm about the use of drones by Mexican cartels to drop drug packages or surveil trafficking routes.
U.S. Army Brigadier General Matt Ross said the “successful test showcases the significant advancements we’re making in counter-drone technology to ensure that our warfighters have the most advanced tools to defend the homeland.”
Several media outlets reported last month drones were seen over Fort McNair in Washington where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth live.
There is no indication the Pentagon plans to deploy the laser at the base, which is close to Reagan Washington National Airport.
Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth last month called on federal watchdogs to review the decision-making process leading to the use of the systems and the FAA’s decision to close airspace.
(Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Franklin Paul, Rod Nickel and Sam Holmes)
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