WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) – The top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee said on Thursday that recent incidents involving the government use of a laser-based anti-drone system in Texas put the flying public at risk and government agencies must address serious issues.
“These incidents highlighted serious process failures that expose the flying public to unacceptable safety risks,” Senator Maria Cantwell wrote to the Pentagon, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies. “It is unacceptable that this system was deployed without adequate coordination with FAA, which likely violated the law.”
Cantwell noted the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will face potential drone threats and said each U.S. government agency “with counter-drone responsibilities needs to be prepared now to act swiftly in the face of any such threat without jeopardizing aviation safety.”
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
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