The U.S. military on Thursday shot down a drone operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection near Fort Hancock along the Texas-Mexico border after identifying it as a potential threat, according to federal lawmakers and a joint statement from federal agencies.
Reuters reported that the U.S. Department of Defense used an anti-drone laser system to bring down the aircraft near Fort Hancock, a community southeast of El Paso. Lawmakers said the system marked the second use of the technology to shoot down an object over Texas soil in two weeks.
Members of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, including ranking member Rick Larsen, said in a statement that officials used what they described as a “high risk” anti-aircraft system. The lawmakers said they had previously raised concerns about efforts to bypass legislation aimed at improving counter-drone training and coordination between the Pentagon and federal agencies.
In a joint statement, the Defense Department, the Federal Aviation Administration and Customs and Border Protection confirmed that authorities shot down what they called a “seemingly threatening unmanned aerial system.” The agencies said the incident occurred far from populated areas and that no commercial aircraft were nearby. They said they are increasing coordination to prevent similar incidents.
Two weeks earlier, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded flights at El Paso International Airport after reports of an unidentified object in the area. Authorities have not identified that object.