US EditionWhat to Know About the Counter Drone Technology that Triggered the Closure of the El Paso Airspace
The FAA lifted the precautionary ground stop after hours amid unclear coordination on a Border Patrol anti-drone laser test targeting cartel drone incursions, officials said.
- This week, the Federal Aviation Administration lifted a ground stop after a sudden El Paso airspace shutdown that left travelers scrambling.
- Border Patrol officials were reportedly preparing to test a Department of Defense-loaned anti-drone laser, with Mexican cartel drone incursions cited as justification for precautionary action.
- Multiple officials said they had no advance notice, and anonymous sources cited lack of coordination with aviation authorities; Victor Manjarrez called it `This was pretty significant`.
- Congressional overseers pressed officials this week, with CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott defending operations amid early reports of a ten-day El Paso flight ban unseen since September 11.
- DHS officials note that drone crossings occur almost daily, with Steven Willoughby citing `malicious actors...using drones for criminal activity nearly every day.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Ten days the airport of the Texan border town of El Paso was supposed to shut down because of "military activities", it was only said. Hours later everything was taken back. Behind the chaos in air traffic control was apparently a new anti-drone laser of the US army – and a party balloon.
ANALYSIS: El Paso Airspace Shutdown Indicates Growing Pains in Trump Admin’s Attention to Long-Ignored Cartel Drone Menace
The threat of cartel drone incursions along the U.S.-Mexico border, estimated at 40,000 to 60,000 incidents per year, was largely ignored under the Biden Administration. The February 10 airspace shutdown over El Paso underscores the serious challenges the Trump administration now faces as it finally gives the drone threats to the homeland the urgent attention they deserve. The post ANALYSIS: El Paso Airspace Shutdown Indicates Growing Pains in T…
Border Patrol Fired Army Lasers At Party Balloons, Forcing El Paso Air Traffic Shutdown
Border Patrol Fired Army Lasers At Party Balloons, Forcing El Paso Air Traffic Shutdown On Wednesday, after the FAA suddenly shut down airspace over El Paso, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the unsettling move was prompted by a "cartel drone incursion," and assured Americans that "the threat has been neutralized." However, that shutdown, which impeded everything from commercial air traffic to medevac helicopter flights, was actuall…
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