The US military accidentally shot down one of its own government's drones near the Texas-Mexico border on Wednesday, using a high-energy laser system that congressional aides say was deployed without proper coordination with federal aviation authorities. The incident took place near Fort Hancock, a small border community roughly 50 miles southeast of El Paso, and prompted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to expand flight restrictions in the area through 24 June, citing 'special security reasons.'
The drone belonged to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The Pentagon used a high-energy laser system to bring it down after mistaking it for a threatening unmanned aerial system operating within military airspace. Neither CBP nor the Pentagon had coordinated with the FAA before the engagement.
