Overview
- Joint Interagency Task Force 401 named five U.S. bases for a pilot that will use lasers and microwaves to stop hostile drones, with initial operations targeted for later this year.
- The sites are Fort Huachuca in Arizona, Fort Bliss in Texas, Naval Base Kitsap in Washington, Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, and Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
- The department plans to finalize deployment details with each installation within 180 days, a step meant to lock in procedures before the gear arrives.
- A joint Pentagon and FAA demonstration at White Sands and a new safety review found no undue risk to passenger aircraft when the systems run under strict controls.
- Earlier laser tests near Fort Bliss triggered brief airspace closures that diverted medical flights, highlighting the need to manage local impacts as the pilot expands.