Feed: Slashdot
Feed Link: https://slashdot.org/
---
Title: US Military Accidentally Shoots Down Border Protection Drone With
Laser
Link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/02/27/2133...
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Associated Press: The U.S.
military used a laser Thursday to shoot down a "seemingly threatening" drone
flying near the U.S.-Mexico border. It turned out the drone belonged to
Customs and Border Protection, lawmakers said. The case of mistaken identity
prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to close additional airspace
around Fort Hancock, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of El Paso. The
military is required to formally notify the FAA when it takes any counter-
drone action inside U.S. airspace. It was the second time in two weeks that a
laser was fired in the area. The last time it was CBP that used the weapon
and nothing was hit. That incident occurred near Fort Bliss and prompted the
FAA to shut down air traffic at El Paso airport and the surrounding area.
This time, the closure was smaller and commercial flights were not affected.
The FAA, CBP and the Pentagon confirmed the incident in a joint statement,
saying the military "employed counter-unmanned aircraft system authorities to
mitigate a seemingly threatening unmanned aerial system operating within
military airspace." "At President Trump's direction, the Department of War,
FAA, and Customs and Border Patrol are working together in an unprecedented
fashion to mitigate drone threats by Mexican cartels and foreign terrorist
organizations at the U.S.-Mexico Border," the statement said. The report
notes that 27,000 drones were detected within 1,600 feet of the southern
border in the last six months of 2024. Illinois Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy
Duckworth, the ranking member on the Senate's Aviation Subcommittee, is
calling for an independent investigation to look into the matter. "The Trump
administration's incompetence continues to cause chaos in our skies,"
Duckworth said.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
---
VRSS v2.1.180528
|
Slashdot 
