Party balloon or cartel drones? Closure of El Paso airspace causes 'chaos'
Source: BBC
The sudden and unexpected closure of the airspace over El Paso, Texas, appears to have stemmed from the US federal government conducting drone-related tests.
The 10-day closure, which ultimately ended hours after it was announced late Tuesday, caused a mass panic in the US-Mexico border city, with the mayor telling the BBC that the chaos "was completely unnecessary".
The US Department of Defense said the airspace issue was due to the military disabling drones being used by Mexican cartels.
But CBS News, the BBC's news partner, said the closure followed a test earlier this week, where an energy laser was used to shoot down what appeared to be a foreign drone, but was actually a party balloon.
"Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace. The Department of War took action to disable the drones," a Trump administration official said after the area reopened Wednesday morning.
Citing multiple sources close to the matter, CBS reported the Pentagon had planned to test new military technology - reportedly a high-energy laser - to practice taking down drones near a military base next to the El Paso airport.
Meetings to discuss the technology's safety were scheduled with the FAA, but the defence department wanted to test it sooner, prompting the FAA - which regulates airspace safety - to halt flights, according to CBS.
Hours after the announced airspace closure, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X that the FAA had worked with the Pentagon to "address a cartel drone incursion" and the "restrictions have been lifted".
The BBC has not independently confirmed the reported dispute between the military and the FAA. The Pentagon declined to comment when contacted by the BBC, and a Trump administration official told the BBC that it is "in lockstep to safeguard America's national security and southern border against all foreign intrusions".
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqxdwjn578do
All those reports of shooting down cartel drones are looking more and more suspect. Clearly, CBP wanted to test a DOD-provided anti-drone laser weapon that could be used against drones at the border. But so far, it appears the only thing that has been shot down was a party balloon.
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