The El Paso No-Fly Debacle Is Just the Beginning of a Drone Defense Mess

"A shocking but ultimately brief airspace closure over El Paso, Texas, and parts of New Mexico last week is stoking unease among pilots and the broader public about the status of United States anti-drone defenses. As low-cost UAV equipment proliferates around the world, analysts have repeatedly warned that destructive attacks perpetrated using drones are inevitable. It is challenging to develop nimble and safe countermeasures, though, given that things like jamming or attempting to shoot down a drone are difficult-or even impossible-to carry out safely in populated areas, much less densely populated cities."

"In the case of the El Paso incident, the Federal Aviation Administration originally set the airspace closure to last 10 days, but ultimately lifted it after eight hours. The Trump administration initially said the move was related to possible incursion of Mexican drug cartel drones, but the New York Times and others reported that it came from FAA concerns that Customs and Border Protection officials were using a Pentagon-provided anti-drone laser weapon in the area despite questions about potential dangers to civilian aircraft. CBP reportedly used the laser defense tool to shoot down what turned out to be a party balloon."

""The FAA likely did a very intelligent thing by issuing the Temporary Flight Restriction," says Tarah Wheeler, chief security officer of the cybersecurity consultancy TPO Group. "The initial 10-day length of the TFR makes it seem like the FAA wasn't provided with information on how long the laser would be in use. The FAA doesn't want to close down airspace longer than they have to.""

An FAA Temporary Flight Restriction briefly closed airspace over El Paso and parts of New Mexico amid concerns about use of an anti-drone laser. The FAA initially set the restriction for 10 days but lifted it after eight hours. Officials first cited possible Mexican drug cartel drone incursions, while reports linked the closure to Customs and Border Protection testing of a Pentagon-provided laser and potential hazards to civilian aircraft. CBP reportedly shot down a party balloon with the laser. The FAA, Department of Defense, and DHS did not comment. Proliferation of low-cost UAVs and limits on safe countermeasures increase urgency and concern.

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