Six weeks after a military laser weapon shot down a $30 million Customs and Border Protection drone, resulting in more than a little desk thumping in Washington, the FAA and Pentagon have now agreed that it’s safe for the military to use its drone zapper to keep the southern border secure. Both agencies announced that after testing the lasers at the White Sands missile range in New Mexico the futuristic weapons are not only safe, but will help keep airplanes safe. Army Gen. Matt Ross said the Pentagon “is proving that these cutting-edge capabilities are safe, effective, and ready to protect all air travelers from illicit drone use in the national airspace” and the FAA, which closed the airspace around El Paso, Texas, for hours when the laser took out a party balloon just outside of town, seems to agree. “We will continue working with our interagency partners to ensure the National Airspace System remains safe while addressing emerging drone threats,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.
In the two incidents reported so far, a breakdown in communications seemed to be at the heart of the FAA’s decision to close airspace. When the balloon, which was thought to be a Mexican drug cartel drone, was vaporized, the FAA seemed to be taken by surprise and Bedford immediately closed the surrounding airspace. That canceled some flights in and out of El Paso and riled local officials. When the Customs drone was inadvertently zapped, only a sliver of airspace around a remote Texas Army post was closed. The agreement comes as officials ponder putting the lasers at a Navy facility in downtown Washington to protect the cabinet members who live there from what they said was increasing drone activity.
Who is going to protect us from “them” … meaning, the FAA and CBP? Nothing or no one is “safe” when laser zapper was demonstrated to “obliterate” a party balloon and $30 mil CBP drone. However, those firing it, the same laser in both cases, could not descern from for sure “dozens” of Mexican Cartel attack drones and a single, apparently hostile party balloon, nor a $30 million dollar CBP surveillance drone from an unknown yet presumed national security threat UAV of some sort. Can you imagine the “threat” a Long EZ will appear to those in charge of this laser?
…or anything operating NORDO/NOADSB around a border or sensitive site.
…and standard ADS-B exemptions still exist, but they are not laser-zone exemptions. Hot air balloons, gliders, ultralights, ag aircraft, and other low-level operators may still be legal without ADS-B in some circumstances. Legal is one thing. Clearly protected in a laser-affected border environment is another. Not good!
Ten years ago, I flew a Mexican registered motor glider from Laredo, TX to Payson, AZ. Around Del Rio, there was heavy weather with rain but clear and sunny just across the Rio Grande. I thought of diverting across the border but cooler heads prevailed when the instructor asked if I could fly instruments.
Yup. So that’s what we did. He watched the ground while I maintained course and attitude on the Dynon D10a. Using VFR flight following, I also flew directly over El Paso International Airport.
There were no laser shoot ’em down devices then, only aerostat cables to worry about.
Future comment from FAA: We really didn’t think something like this could happen!
Having worked on the integration and testing of high-energy layers, I can confirm there is absolutely nothing safe about these devices. The wavelength of the laser is outside of the human eyes response so you don’t see it, but it still focuses on your retina. One small reflection off of a shiny portion of the Drone while you’re looking at it, and you’d be blind.
The other issue is the laser breaking lock on the target, and still firing. Any satellites or commercial air in the background could sustain serious damage.
These lasers are far from safe.
This is not okay.
Now the executive branch may catch up to the congress by causing another serious aviation accident inside the beltway…..
Really disappointed not just that this thing is happening but that our government is actually degraded so badly that anyone in power would even consider this a good idea for a minute.