In the latest twist in the El Paso airspace closure incident, a congressional briefing and joint agency statement confirms that the US military made contact with a drone, which is reported to have been operated by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen, Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Aviation André Carson and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security Bennie G. Thompson released the following statement yesterday (February 26).
“Our heads are exploding over the news that DoD reportedly shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone using a high risk counter-unmanned aircraft system,” the Members said. “We said months ago that the White House’s decision to sidestep a bipartisan, tri-committee bill to appropriately train C-UAS operators and address the lack of coordination between the Pentagon, DHS and the FAA was a short-sighted idea. Now, we’re seeing the result of its incompetence.”
The comments follow a joint statement by DoD, CBP and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that acknowledged the incident and said the military mitigated “a seemingly threatening unmanned aerial system operating within military airspace.” The statement did not say that it was a CBP drone that had been hit.
For more information
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure – Minority
Image: El Paso International Airport
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