FAA and military agree on how to use lasers to take down drones at the southern border

By Alexandra Skores, CNN

Washington (CNN) — The Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Defense have come to an agreement on how “high-energy laser counter-drone” systems can be used at the Southern border, according to a news release.

A “thorough safety assessment,” determined using lasers to shoot down drones does “not pose undue risk to passenger aircraft.” The findings come after demonstrations of the systems on March 7 and 8 at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

In February, the FAA closed the airspace over El Paso, Texas after the Defense Department allowed Customs and Border Protection to used a counter-drone laser system before meeting with the aviation agency to review potential safety impacts, sources told CNN at the time. The move effectively shut down the city’s airport but was reversed after about eight hours.

About two weeks later, the US military used a laser system to shoot down an unmanned aircraft operated by US Customs and Border Protection about 50 miles south of El Paso.

“Following a thorough, data-informed Safety Risk Assessment, we determined that these systems do not present an increased risk to the flying public,” said Bryan Bedford, FAA administrator. “We will continue working with our interagency partners to ensure the National Airspace System remains safe while addressing emerging drone threats.”

The military will continue to coordinate with the FAA to make sure passenger planes, pilots, navigation equipment and air traffic control is not impacted by the lasers, according to the release.

CNN’s Devon Sayers contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.