Drone-killing laser weapons greenlit for use in US airspace – FAA and Defense Department say high-energy weapons are ‘ready to protect all air travelers from illicit drone use’ despite airspace restrictions and friendly-fire incidents | Tech Radar

Overview

News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets

Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more

Details

Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards.

Drone-killing laser weapons greenlit for use in US airspace – FAA and Defense Department say high-energy weapons are ‘ready to protect all air travelers from illicit drone use’ despite airspace restrictions and friendly-fire incidents

Drone-killing laser weapons are coming to an airspace near you

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.

FAA approves laser weapons for anti-drone operations in US airspace

High-energy weapons "do not present an increased risk"

Approval follows multiple airspace closures due to unapproved weapons firing

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the use of drone-killing high-energy lasers in US airspace, according to the New York Times.

The decision came on Friday after a two-month deliberation on the potential dangers the weapons could cause to aircraft in airspace protected by lasers.

Despite airspace closures to shoot down balloons and a friendly-fire incident involving a Customs and Border Protection drone, FAA testing has “determined that these systems do not present an increased risk to the flying public.”

Forget lasers and missiles, China wants to kill drones using a common tech households use everyday in kitchens all around the world — invisible microwave weapons can fry electronics but still require line-of-sight and proximity

'The new era of Infinite Flight begins': Novel tech can wireless charge drones almost 2 Km away using a kilowatt-class laser and a lightweight charger

Anti-drone laser weapons approved for US airspace

The FAA approval doesn’t note any determinations on if the weapons posed zero risk to aircraft, but instead stated that if the weapons did happen to come into contact with an aircraft, the damage would be minimal - which is hardly reassuring.

Additionally, pilots flying within airspaces protected by laser weapons will be issued an advisory by the FAA.

The FAA has had several moments of conflict with the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security after high-energy lasers were used without FAA approval, leading to two airspace shutdowns over El Paso and Fort Hancock in Texas.

The first incident, on February 10 2026, saw Customs and Border Protection shoot down a metallic balloon using a high-energy laser weapon on loan from the Pentagon. The FAA immediately put into place an airspace closure up to 18,000 feet over El Paso for 10 days, but the restrictions were lifted just a few hours later under pressure from the White House. A senior aide to President Donald Trump labelled the incident as an FAA “f**k-up”.

Then, on February 26, a second incident saw high-energy laser weapons fired at a “seemingly threatening” drone flying within the vicinity of the US-Mexico border, which resulted in the FAA having to close the airspace around Fort Hancock. The drone was successfully brought down, but was later found to have been flown by the Customs and Border Protection.

Both incidents brought to light a lack of concern for the regulations surrounding the new laser deployments. The Pentagon is required by federal law to coordinate with the Transportation Department and the FAA before using new anti-drone technology.

Following the agreement between the FAA and the Defense Department, US Army Brigadier General Matt Ross said, “By working hand-in-hand with the FAA and our interagency partners, the Department of War is proving that these cutting-edge capabilities are safe, effective, and ready to protect all air travelers from illicit drone use in the national airspace.”

Sensing that the FAA may have been pressured into approving the technology for use, Democrat Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, who is one of the heads on the committee that oversees aviation, has requested that both the Pentagon and FFA present a briefing on how the agreement was made.

Follow Tech Radar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.

Benedict is a Senior Security Writer at Tech Radar Pro, where he has specialized in covering the intersection of geopolitics, cyber-warfare, and business security.

Benedict provides detailed analysis on state-sponsored threat actors, APT groups, and the protection of critical national infrastructure, with his reporting bridging the gap between technical threat intelligence and B2B security strategy.

Benedict holds an MA (Distinction) in Security, Intelligence, and Diplomacy from the University of Buckingham Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (BUCSIS), with his specialization providing him with a robust academic framework for deconstructing complex international conflicts and intelligence operations, and the ability to translate intricate security data into actionable insights.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

1 Drone-killing laser weapons greenlit for use in US airspace – FAA and Defense Department say high-energy weapons are ‘ready to protect all air travelers from illicit drone use’ despite airspace restrictions and friendly-fire incidents

2 Microsoft's Recall tool is back and still has major security concerns — but the company denies any data risk

3 The Boys season 5 episode 3 sees Homelander nearly kill another Supe — and some Prime Video viewers argue that he 'should've gone through with it'

4 Gemini is now a native mac OS app, making it faster and better integrated than ever before

5 Amazon has been accused of ‘bricking’ older Fire TV Stick devices to get users to upgrade — and it’s sparked a class action lawsuit

Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Key Takeaways

• News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets

• Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more

• Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards

• Drone-killing laser weapons greenlit for use in US airspace – FAA and Defense Department say high-energy weapons are ‘ready to protect all air travelers from illicit drone use’ despite airspace restrictions and friendly-fire incidents

• Drone-killing laser weapons are coming to an airspace near you