SoylentNews

Freeman [soylentnews.org] writes:

https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/02/el-paso-airport-closed-after-military-used-new-anti-drone-laser-to-zap-party-balloon/ [arstechnica.com]

On Tuesday night, the Federal Aviation Administration closed airspace up to 18,000 feet above the El Paso International Airport in Texas, saying the restrictions would be in place for 10 days. Then, less than 10 hours later, the federal agency reopened the airspace, allowing planes to land and take off at the busy airport.

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.”
[...]
Not everyone agrees with Duffy’s account.

Based upon reporting from The New York Times and other publications, the military has been developing high-energy lasers to bring down drones.
[...]
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 object was a party balloon.
[...]
One of the many lessons from the war in Ukraine, which has rapidly pushed forward drone technology in contested environments, is that it is not practical to shoot down drones with conventional missiles. So it is understandable that the US military is looking at alternatives. This all culminated in some sort of snafu between the FAA and military officials regarding coordination with this week’s test.
[...]
action was taken without consulting local or state officials in Texas—who are understandably outraged
[...]
“I want to be very, very clear that this should’ve never happened,” El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson said during a news conference on Wednesday. “That failure to communicate is unacceptable.”

Relevant video from a commenter on the original article: 99 Luftballons [youtu.be]

Original Submission