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Last week, the Texas city of El Paso experienced one of the greatest disruptions in service to its international airport since the attacks on September 11th, 2001. In stark contrast to the solemn days, the cause behind the most recent ground stop at El Paso International (ELP) is due to overreach and communication failures for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Two anonymous sources told the New York Times that the reasoning that the Department of ‘War’ gave to the FAA and Department of Transportation (DOT) to shut down the airspace was a “total fabrication.” It appears that the entire basis of the threat to shut down El Paso’s airspace for 10 days was simply because Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) didn’t want to take the time to use the proper channels to try out a new anti-drone laser.
Military-Grade Balloon Poppers
At least one local official chalked up the entire series of events to what at least appears to be sheer competence. The events in El Paso also mark what is the first publicly known use of the Laser Oriented Counter UAS System (LOCUST) laser weapon system (LWS), according to CBS. The airspace notice was not made public knowledge to many of the local government offices in El Paso until after it took effect. This is despite the fact that the actual notice included the threat of military force to destroy any aircraft that violated the airspace.
It later came to light that while the border patrol claimed that they were working together with military personnel to intercept and destroy drones infiltrating American airspace by Mexican drug cartels, in reality, they simply popped some party balloons that had floated away. Still, the FAA has issued a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) for a 10-day period. The order was rescinded the next morning, but that didn’t prevent the fallout for the community of EL Paso.
The local community began to fear that a potential military action was brewing on the border, especially given the buildup of military forces and the recent intervention in Venezuela by special forces. Even though the airspace closure proved to be short-lived, it’s still forced the diversion of medical evacuation flights and prevented the delivery of surgical equipment. El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson told the BBC:
“We haven’t had flight restrictions like this since 9/11. And keep in mind, in 9/11, we were only shut down at the airport for two days. What they were doing caused complete chaos.”
The Trump Admin’s Blame Game
The abrupt shutdown led to the cancellation of at least 14 flights and caused significant delays for travelers and medical evacuation flights. KFOX 14 shared a clip in which President Donald Trump’s reaction to the disastrous implementation of the emergency airspace action by his cabinet was to simply say, “People learn.” He appeared to have no concern for the effect it had on the people of El Paso.
Bryan Bedford (FAA Administrator) issued the initial 10-day closure order late Tuesday night. He is believed to have been caught off guard and made the snap decision to protect civilian air traffic, which he believed to be in grave danger from the lasers. Sean Duffy (Secretary of Transportation) publicly defended the shutdown on social media, saying that it was necessary for national defense. Susie Wiles (White House Chief of Staff) reportedly ordered the FAA to reopen the airspace on Wednesday morning.
Although many officials in the Trump Administration claimed that the shutdown was necessary due to the airspace incursion by a cartel drone, sources have continued to echo that the real reason was simply due to a disagreement between the FAA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over rules and regulations for laser weapons.
El Paso Airspace Reopened Following Closure Due To Security Concerns
Passenger, cargo, and general aviation flights are all impacted by the temporary restriction.
Star Wars Weapons Program: The Parody
Even by military standards, which are pretty generous as far as creative acronym naming goes, the terminology-bending required to give the LOCUST system its moniker already makes it hard to take it seriously. Then, diving into the specs, we find it’s even less credible than it sounds on the surface, with an exceptionally short effective range. The LOCUST laser weapon system, developed by BlueHalo and acquired by AeroVironment, has faced significant scrutiny.
The LOCUST takes about 15 minutes to power up, and when it does, its range is limited to around 2 miles (3.25 kilometers). It is a palletized 20-kilowatt weapon, which puts it on the low end of the power spectrum for directed energy systems, but makes it very easy to deploy, and because it does not use any kinetic ordinance like missiles or bullets, it is much cheaper and supposedly safer to operate.
The system is not powerful enough to stop a drone ‘swarm’ by itself, as it requires several seconds of continuous target focus in order for the laser’s effect to destroy the UAS. Like many directed-energy systems, the LOCUST struggles with atmospheric interference. Dust, sand, humidity, and rain can significantly defocus or weaken the 20kW beam.
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