US military laser shoots down government drone in Texas incident

The US military shot down a US government drone with a laser-based anti-drone system, an accident that prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to bar flights on Thursday in an area around Fort Hancock, Texas, congressional aides told Reuters.The Pentagon did not immediately comment, but the FAA cited “special security reasons” in its ‌notice about the restrictions on the airspace near the Mexican border.US lawmakers Rick Larsen, Bennie Thompson and Andre Carson, top Democrats on committees overseeing aviation and Homeland Security issues, said in a joint statement the Pentagon reportedly shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone, and criticised the lack of coordination.The lawmakers said they warned months ago that the White House’s decision to sidestep a bipartisan proposal to train counter-drone operators and address coordination issues “was a short-sighted idea”.“Now, we’re seeing the result of incompetence,” the statement said.Congressional ⁠aides told Reuters the Pentagon was believed to have used the high-energy laser system to shoot down the CBP drone near the Mexican ‌border, in an area that often has incursions from Mexican drones used by drug cartels. CBP and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.