A dispute between the Federal Aviation Administration and the Pentagon over the LOCUST anti-drone laser system has escalated into a full-blown interagency conflict, with a heated White House national security meeting this month laying bare the divisions, "Hvylya" reports, citing The New York Times.
At the meeting, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Department officials pressed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford to agree to use of the laser, arguing it was essential in the fight against Mexican drug cartels that use drones for surveillance. Three people briefed on the meeting described it as fractious.
The FAA has pushed back, warning that the system could cause "fatalities or permanent injury to civilians." The agency offered to impose temporary flight restrictions to allow for the laser to be tested, but the Pentagon insisted on broader deployment.
The two agencies are now working on a laser-use agreement for the border region. The FAA is considering issuing a Notice to Airmen, known as a NOTAM, warning pilots to use caution when flying through the El Paso area if their cockpits lack locational-broadcasting technology. But the wording is not expected to specifically mention the lasers.
"What pilots want to know is, what's the thing that I'm looking for?" said Marc Nichols, co-chair of the transportation practice at DLA Piper and former FAA chief counsel under President Biden. "When you don't know, does it really kind of solve the problem of issuing a NOTAM?"
The FAA has been under intense scrutiny since a midair collision between an Army helicopter and a regional passenger jet killed 67 people over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport 14 months ago. On March 22, two Air Canada pilots died when their plane collided with a fire truck crossing their runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
Also read: "Hvylya" reported on why America's drone defense systems fall short of the threats they face.