"About an hour after lifting the restrictions, US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, whose responsibilities include overseeing the FAA, explained the unexpected closure by saying, "The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion." (The Trump Administration refers to the Department of Defense as the Department of War, or DOW, although its legal name remains the former.)"
"Based upon reporting from The New York Times and other publications, the military has been developing high-energy lasers to bring down drones. The FAA and US military officials had been discussing tests of the new weapon from the nearby Fort Bliss Army base. However, the FAA had not resolved all of its concerns about airplane safety from the tests. Despite these apparently lingering concerns from the FAA, the military went ahead with a test earlier this week against what was thought to be a drone."
The Federal Aviation Administration closed airspace up to 18,000 feet above El Paso International Airport, initially saying restrictions would last 10 days. Less than ten hours later the FAA reopened the airspace, allowing normal takeoffs and landings. US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy described the closure as a response to a "cartel drone incursion." Military sources have developed high-energy lasers intended to down drones and coordinated test plans with the FAA and Fort Bliss. The FAA retained safety concerns about aircraft exposure to the tests. Military personnel proceeded with a test this week that targeted an object later identified as a party balloon.
Read at Ars Technica
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