The Pentagon and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plan to conduct tests in New Mexico of a high-energy laser designed to counter drones, as US officials work to establish safety limits for a system that has already triggered airspace disruptions in Texas.
The testing, scheduled for White Sands Missile Range, is aimed at determining if the US military can use directed-energy counter-drone technology without creating unacceptable risk for civil aviation. The Pentagon said the event will examine the laser’s effects on aircraft materials, validate automated safety shut-off systems, and help with aircrew eye-safety analysis.
The urgency comes from two recent Texas incidents that exposed coordination problems among federal agencies. On February 25, 2026, the US military mistakenly shot down a government drone with a laser-based anti-drone system near Fort Hancock, Texas, prompting the FAA to expand an area where flights were barred. Earlier, on February 18, the FAA halted flights at El Paso International Airport for 10 days before reversing the order roughly eight hours later.
Lawmakers were reportedly told in a classified briefing that the incidents highlighted serious problems in operationalizing counter-drone technology.
Deputy Transportation Secretary Steve Bradbury told Reuters the New Mexico testing is necessary so the FAA can better understand the laser system’s limitations, how it can be adjusted, and how it can be controlled. The goal is to create a framework that would let the FAA clear the technology for use without having to approve each deployment individually.
Bradbury noted that if regulators cannot get comfortable with the safety case, the agency may have to close or restrict airspace when the system is in use.
The FAA has already updated internal air traffic procedures around counter-UAS coordination, including requiring ATC facilities to coordinate and gain approval before entering certain counter-UAS agreements with non-FAA entities.
Counter-drone systems may offer military and border-security agencies a quick way to deal with unmanned threats, but aviation regulators need confidence that those systems will not endanger airliners, crews, or nearby traffic. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz said after the classified briefing that there were “real challenges” in operationalizing the technology, underscoring how much interagency coordination still needs to improve.
