By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) – Senators said Wednesday that two incidents in Texas involving government drones that prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to close airspace to airplanes show the need for significantly improved coordination.
The U.S. military on February 25 errantly shot down a government drone with a laser-based anti-drone system, which prompted the FAA to expand an area where flights are barred around Fort Hancock, Texas.
On February 18, the FAA said it was halting all flights for 10 days at the airport in nearby El Paso, Texas, only to reverse course and lift its order after about eight hours. The FAA action had been prompted by the use of the high-energy laser system by the Customs and Border Protection agency near the Mexican border to address drone threats.
“It’s clear that there were real challenges in terms of operationalizing counter-drone technology,” Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz said after a classified briefing with the FAA, Pentagon and CBP on the incidents. “It’s clear that in the early implementation of this technology coordination fell far below what should have happened.”
The Pentagon and FAA declined to comment on the briefing.
Senator Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Commerce Committee, also said it was clear the agencies need to work together better. “It’s not sufficient. This doesn’t work,” Cantwell said, adding high-level officials at the agencies need to ensure there is not a repeat of the incidents. “It’s not working… We don’t want it repeated.”
She said it was important to ensure coordination between major events like the FIFA World Cup where drones could be a security issue.
The El Paso closure stemmed from FAA concerns about the use of the laser-based anti-drone system and that the agency agreed to drop its restrictions around El Paso if the Pentagon agreed to delay further testing pending an FAA safety review. Aides said that review is still ongoing.
CBP deployed the laser technology in February to take down four suspected cartel drones, despite warnings from the FAA that the technology had not been deemed safe to use in the same vicinity as commercial flights, a congressional aide told Reuters, adding agencies had said the laser had never before been deployed domestically.
(Reporting by David ShepardsonEditing by Peter Graff and Diane Craft)