US must fix issues with anti-drone laser system, key Democratic senator says [View all]

Source: msn/Reuters

11h


WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) - The top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee said on Thursday that recent incidents involving the government's use of a laser-based anti-drone system in Texas put the flying public at risk, and government agencies must address serious issues.

"These incidents highlighted serious process failures that expose the flying public to unacceptable safety risks," Senator Maria Cantwell wrote to the Pentagon, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies in a letter seen by Reuters. "It is unacceptable that this system was deployed without adequate coordination with FAA, which likely violated the law," she added.

The U.S. military errantly shot down a government drone with a laser-based anti-drone system on February 25, leading the FAA to expand an area where flights are barred around Fort Hancock, Texas. The incident followed a February 18 decision by the FAA to halt all flights for 10 days at the nearby El Paso airport, an order it lifted after about eight hours.

Cantwell noted the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics would face potential drone threats and said each U.S. government agency "with counter-drone responsibilities needs to be prepared now to act swiftly in the face of any such threat without jeopardizing aviation safety."

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