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Democratic lawmakers are criticising the Trump Administration after a government-owned drone was reportedly shot down with a laser by the U.S. military in Texas.
The incident led to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) closing the airspace above Fort Hancock at 6:30 p.m., local time, on Thursday, citing “special security reasons.”
“Our heads are exploding over the news that DoD reportedly shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone using a high risk counter-unmanned aircraft system,” said representatives Rick Larsen, ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, André Carson, ranking member of the aviation subcommittee, and Bennie G. Thompson, ranking member on the Homeland Security committee.
Congressional aides reportedly told Reuters that the Pentagon had used a “high-energy laser system” to shoot down the CBP drone near Fort Hancock, by the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Department of Defense, FAA, and CBP acknowledged the incident, but made no specific reference to an anti-drone laser.
“This reported engagement occurred when the Department of War [Defense] employed counter-unmanned aircraft system authorities to mitigate a seemingly threatening unmanned aerial system operating within military airspace,” read a joint statement sent to TIME.
“The engagement took place far away from populated areas and there were no commercial aircraft in the vicinity,” they added. “These agencies will continue to work on increased cooperation and communication to prevent such incidents in the future.”
The agencies said they are working together at President Donald Trump’s direction “in an unprecedented fashion to mitigate drone threats by Mexican cartels and foreign terrorist organizations at the U.S.-Mexico Border.”
Decrying the action, Democratic lawmakers said they had already issued a warning months ago that “the White House’s decision to sidestep a bipartisan, tri-committee bill” to appropriately train unmanned…
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