#drone-countermeasures

#drone-countermeasures

The government's ability to deal with drones that pose a threat on American soil has been questioned this week after the use of a laser designed to shoot down drones near the border in Texas led to the abrupt closure of the airspace over El Paso, sources familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The details of exactly what happened before the Federal Aviation Administration shut down the busy airport in the Mexican border city on Wednesday aren't entirely clear,

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.)

The sudden and surprising airspace closure over El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday stemmed from the Pentagon's plans to test a laser for use in shooting down drones used by Mexican drug cartels, according to three people familiar with the situation who were granted anonymity to share sensitive details. That caused friction with the Federal Aviation Administration, which wanted to ensure commercial air safety and the two agencies sought to coordinate, according to two of the people.

NATO and Ukraine are teaming up in a race to field cheap, quick-turn defenses against some of Russia's toughest weapons to stop - glide bombs and drones guided by fiber-optic cables. Several of these projects are already in testing, military officials directly involved told Business Insider, with the aim of protecting Ukraine now and equipping NATO with new tools for a future fight. The clock, however, is constantly working against them. The war in Ukraine is moving fast, with both sides rapidly developing new weapons and tactics. By the time a countermeasure is ready, it risks being outdated.