The United States is testing a new laser weapon resembling Israel's Iron Beam, designed to take down drones and missiles. This week, the U.S. aviation authority expressed concerns to the Army over the use of a 'high-energy' laser to shoot down what was thought to be a drone, according to a report by Lara Seligman for The Wall Street Journal. The report suggests this secret weapon could be used on the border to take down drones from organized crime. Jennifer Jacobs reported for CBS that the use of this new military technology has caused disputes between civilian and military authorities. According to this information, the airspace closure was an attempt by the Civil Aviation Agency to ensure the safety of all operations, given the use of the new laser to take down drones. An additional report by Camilo Montoya-Galvez for CBS states that the unexpected airspace closure in El Paso was due to 'disagreements between the FAA and the Department of Defense over drone-related tests'. CNN reported that there was no coordination between military and civilian authorities to test this new technology. Without specifying a date, this report says the U.S. Army has already shot down four objects initially reported as drones from Mexican cartels. The closure of airspace around El Paso, Texas, was because the Pentagon was testing a new weapon to take down unauthorized objects or vehicles, sources told U.S. media. The new weapon is a high-power laser, whose development and locations remain secret. It was later confirmed that they were balloons that posed no danger.
