The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Pentagon have signed an agreement allowing the government's use of a high-energy laser counter-drone system along the southern US border with Mexico.

The agreement, sealed on Friday, came after the FAA conducted testing in New Mexico on the laser system used by the Pentagon and Homeland Security Department and validated that proper safety controls are in place and do not pose undue risks to passenger aircraft.

Two earlier incidents posed serious concerns.

The military shot down a government drone with the laser-based system on February 25 by mistake, leading the FAA to expand an area in which flights are barred around Fort Hancock, Texas.

The incident followed the February 18 decision by the FAA to halt all flights for 10 days at the nearby El Paso airport because of the use of the Pentagon laser system by a Homeland Security agency without completion of an FAA safety review The El Paso shutdown order was lifted by the FAA after about eight hours following the White House's intervention.

Late on Friday, the FAA issued a notice to pilots warning them to use ADS-B OUT, or automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast, which transmits an aircraft's location when flying within five nautical miles of the US-Mexico border or "be impacted" by the counter-drone technology.

The notice also urges US drone operators to use caution when operating in the area, saying drones posing a threat could be destroyed.

"Following a thorough, data-informed safety risk assessment, we determined that these systems do not present an increased risk to the flying public," FAA chief Bryan Bedford said on Friday.

The Pentagon has said there are more than 1,000 drone incursions along the border with Mexico each month. US security officials have increasingly expressed alarm about the use of drones by Mexican cartels to drop drug packages or surveil trafficking routes.

Several media outlets reported last month drones were seen over Fort McNair in Washington where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth live.

There is no indication the Pentagon plans to deploy the laser at the base, which is close to Reagan Washington National Airport. (Reuters)



Edited by Cecil Wong