AeroVironment LOCUST laser sparks FAA airspace shutdown, chaos in El Paso

AeroVironment LOCUST laser use sparks El Paso airspace shutdown

A U.S. Army laser counter‑drone system made by AeroVironment, described in reporting as a LOCUST laser on loan from the Army, is at the center of a dispute after Customs and Border Protection officers fire at a metallic party balloon near Fort Bliss and trigger an abrupt Federal Aviation Administration airspace closure over El Paso. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the shutdown is prompted by a "cartel drone incursion" and that "the threat has been neutralized," but reporting by The New York Times shows the closure follows the Border Patrol unit's use of the laser system introduced for border security without FAA sign‑off and potentially in violation of federal law.

The episode highlights a breakdown in coordination over introducing directed‑energy weapons into domestic airspace. The FAA's chief lawyer warns in a Feb. 6 email that employing the laser without first restricting nearby airspace poses "a grave risk of fatalities or permanent injuries," yet officers open fire in the pre‑dawn hours of Feb. 9 believing they target a drone. Sources tell The New York Times the idea to arm border agents with the lasers is presented to Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg in spring 2025; while Pentagon staff reportedly warn that FAA and Transportation Department approval is required, Feinberg allegedly authorizes deployment — an account the Pentagon calls "a total fabrication." A Department of Defense official later reiterates that prior FAA approval is not needed and indicates the systems will continue to be used.

FAA administrator Bryan Bedford issues an extraordinary temporary flight restriction closing airspace above El Paso for up to 10 days and forbids flights below 18,000 feet, a move that lasts only hours but prompts "chaos and confusion," Mayor Renard Johnson says, including diversion of medevac flights to Las Cruces, New Mexico. Bedford rescinds the order on Wednesday, but the incident intensifies preexisting tensions between the Defense Department and the FAA that date back to a January 2025 airline collision and raises questions about oversight of military‑loaned counter‑drone technologies in civilian airspace.

Regulatory and safety scrutiny sharpens

Regulators and safety officials increasingly scrutinize the domestic use of directed‑energy counter‑drone systems, citing legal exposure and potential harm to civilians and conventional aircraft if weapons are employed without formal airspace restrictions or interagency approvals.

Industry and policy implications for AeroVironment

The dispute places additional pressure on manufacturers such as AeroVironment and on Pentagon and homeland security policy, as rapid deployment of military‑grade counter‑drone tools at the border spurs calls for clearer approval protocols and tightened coordination with the FAA.