This week, the government’s ability to handle drones posing a threat on American soil has been questioned after the use of a laser meant to shoot down drones near the border in Texas led to the closure of the airspace over El Paso, sources familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
The exact details of what occurred before the Federal Aviation Administration shut down the busy airport in the Mexican border city on Wednesday are not entirely clear. However, a source familiar with the situation told AP that the laser was deployed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection without coordinating with the FAA.
Two months ago, legislation was passed to give more law enforcement agencies the authority to take down rogue drones as long as they are properly trained. This could make situations like the one in El Paso more likely. Previously, only a select few federal agencies had that power.
Here’s an overview of what happened and the issues it raised:
Communication issues acknowledged
The government would only state that the airspace was shut down when an incursion by Mexican drug cartel drones was neutralized.
But the two people who discussed sensitive details on condition of anonymity said the FAA grounded every aircraft in the El Paso area due to concerns about the safety of the laser system being used near commercial planes. The restrictions were initially expected to last 10 days, but were lifted a few hours later.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Friday that the government agencies involved in El Paso are working to address the concerns that led to the cancellation of more than a dozen flights and left travelers in a scramble.
“This was a joint agency task force mission that was carried out, and we’re continuing to work on the communication through that,” Noem said in Arizona.
But drone warfare expert Brett Velicovich said the chaos in Texas raises questions about whether the U.S. will be prepared to deal with a significant drone threat.
“We need to simplify the authorities regarding who is truly in charge and get these egos out of the way among these different agencies before an American gets hurt,” said Velicovich, who founded drone maker Power.us and consults on ways to mitigate their threats.
Drones can be a threat
carry out devastating attacks daily in Ukraine. The unmanned vehicles have also enabled Ukraine to
Velicovich, who used to use Predator drones in the military to bomb targets, said it wouldn’t be difficult for someone with malicious intent to buy a drone for a few hundred dollars and cause great harm at a major public event like a World Cup match or the celebrations of America’s 250th birthday planned this summer.
Cartels routinely use drones to deliver drugs across the Mexican border and surveil Border Patrol officers. Officials told Congress last summer that more than 27,000 drones were detected within 1,600 feet (500 meters) of the southern border in the last six months of 2024.
The government recently provided $250 million in grants to the 11 states set to host World Cup matches this summer to help them prepare for the drone threat. Another $250 million in grants will be awarded later this year to strengthen the nation’s drone defenses.
More near misses involving drones
The incidents involving drones continue to rise along with the number of near misses around airports. Homeland Security estimates there are more than 1.7 million registered drones flying in the United States, and that number has been growing.
Larger drones are required to carry a radio device that identifies the drone’s owner and broadcasts its position to help avoid collisions. Cities can also invest in additional sensors around stadiums to help quickly detect drones.
Airspace Link, a Detroit company, created a low altitude air traffic control system to track drones and can alert authorities who might soon be able to take action. Cities can buy additional sensors to upgrade that system around stadiums or other high-profile locations.
“We don’t want something to happen,” said CEO Michael Healander. “But we also want to be prepared to have the tools in place to take action, because these are such big global events.”
Acting against rogue drones
Common anti-drone systems use radio signals to jam or force drones to land. But there are also high-powered microwaves or laser beams like the one sources say was used in Texas this week that are capable of disabling the machines.
Some other systems station small drones to take flight quickly and ram into drones that are considered a threat. And there are systems that use bullets to shoot down drones.
Michael Robbins, president and CEO of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International trade group, said these counter drone systems are more common in warzones than across the United States. But the government is working to get them into the hands of more officers nationwide.
“It’s our belief that this is important technology that when responsibly used with proper oversight and intensive training will help to mitigate unsafe or malicious drones in the very rare instances where that needs to occur,” Robbins said.
Pilots worry about drones
Allied Pilots Association union spokesman Capt. Dennis Tajer said he’s not sure how big of a threat the counter drone technology is to the American Airlines jets he flies because so few details have been released about what happened in Texas. And officials with Homeland Security and the FAA didn’t respond to questions about it again on Friday.
Tajer said he’s more concerned about the possibility of a passenger jet running into a drone because that could bring the plane down. A year ago, 67 people were killed when an American Airlines plane collided with an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C.
“You don’t have to be a pilot, an engineer or a defense expert to understand that two pieces of metal in the sky that one doesn’t know the other is there and is uncontrolled is dangerous,” Tajer said. “We’ve got to keep those two pieces of metal away from each other.”