El Paso Airport Briefly Closed After Border Patrol Uses Loaned AeroVironment LOCUST Laser

El Paso shutdown follows loaned AeroVironment laser use

El Paso International Airport briefly closes after U.S. officials say a laser counter‑drone system loaned to the Army and described as an AeroVironment LOCUST laser is used by Border Patrol near Fort Bliss. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy calls the action a response to a "cartel drone incursion" and says the "threat has been neutralized," while the Federal Aviation Administration imposes and then rescinds a temporary flight restriction that halts flights below 18,000 feet for several hours.

Regulatory standoff centers on AeroVironment LOCUST laser deployment

The central issue centers on the deployment of an AeroVironment‑branded laser in a border‑security role without prior FAA approval, raising safety and legal questions for a company whose products target unmanned air systems. FAA lawyers warn that using a weapon capable of emitting high‑energy laser beams in civilian airspace poses "a grave risk of fatalities or permanent injuries," and the agency issues an extraordinary airspace restriction after Customs and Border Protection fires at what agents believe is a drone near the runway. The LOCUST system, provided to the Army and described in reporting as on loan, now sits at the intersection of tactical counter‑UAS operations and statutory aviation safety requirements.

The episode intensifies ongoing friction between the Department of Defense and the FAA over aviation safety protocols and interagency clearance procedures, a dynamic that affects manufacturers and operators of counter‑drone technology. Sources tell reporters the concept to arm border agents with laser systems was pitched to Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg earlier this year, and while some Pentagon staff caution that FAA and Transportation Department sign‑off is required, a senior official reportedly authorises deployment; the Pentagon calls that account "a total fabrication." For AeroVironment and the counter‑UAS industry, the incident underlines risks that ad hoc operational use can trigger regulatory pushback, legal exposure and public‑safety scrutiny.

Local impacts and broader implications

Mayor Renard Johnson says the closure causes "chaos and confusion," including diversion of medevac flights to Las Cruces, New Mexico, spotlighting how counter‑drone tactics can disrupt critical civilian services.

Washington officials now face choices on formalizing procedures for high‑energy counter‑UAS systems near airports, balancing border security priorities against FAA mandates — a precedent that will shape how industry and the military deploy emerging anti‑drone technologies.