The Federal Aviation Administration has just issued a new nationwide security notice that is a massive shift in how the FAA handles restricted airspace. The notice, officially called NOTAM FDC 6/4375, prohibits unmanned aircraft systems from operating within a huge radius of Department of Homeland Security facilities and mobile assets. We’re talking 3,000 feet laterally, which is over half a mile, and 1,000 feet vertically.
Here’s the concern: the restriction isn’t tied to fixed locations or specific times, and can turn legal public airspace illegal in a moment. According to the Aero Time report, it applies continuously and moves with DHS assets, including ground vehicle convoys. Since ICE operates under DHS and routinely conducts enforcement actions with mobile convoys in public areas, this essentially means a massive, invisible no-fly zone is moving right along with it.
