FAA says proper use of anti-drone lasers that prompted Texas airspace closures is safe for flights
Source: AP
Updated 6:26 PM EDT, April 10, 2026
Anti-drone lasers used near the southern border by the U.S. military and Homeland Security to combat cartel drones are safe and shouldn’t necessitate airport closures, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday after a review prompted by airspace closures in Texas earlier this year.
The FAA and Defense Department have signed an agreement outlining the safety precautions that they say will protect travelers anytime these lasers are used, but their statement didn’t spell out what those safeguards will be. The FAA didn’t immediately respond to questions seeking more details about the agreement.
In early February, the FAA closed the airspace around the El Paso airport for several hours after another agency used a counter-drone laser without notifying the aviation safety regulator. That left many travelers scrambling to find new flights. A second, more limited airspace closure later that month followed the military shooting down a drone owned by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
A demonstration of the lasers conducted last month at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico convinced the FAA that they can be used safely.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/drone-laser-faa-texas-pentagon-67cf7f351f0db902e5657d88d0a3adc9
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