Yesterday, 26 Feb 2026, the US military shot down a CBP drone---using “high-risk counter-unmanned aircraft system” / laser--- shot down a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drone in Texas. prompting the closure of airspace near the U.S.-Mexico border The incident marks the second time this month that a laser was used in Texas and caused a closure of airspace. Reckless blunders by DUI Hegseth keep on keeping on. the signal-gate blunders / scandals struck boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean threatened to cut Anthropic from DoD supply chain unless it agrees to sign off on its technology being used in all lawful military applications using “high-risk counter-unmanned aircraft system” on on US soil
Not clear if it was a Defense or DHS screw-up, but regardless, it sure makes the FAA look good for closing the El Paso air space. The drone that was shot down was not some backyard plaything. It was a $30,000,000 MQ-9 Reaper drone. It has the size and radar signature of a small passenger jet. This happened after both Defense and DHS said there was "zero chance" that a wrong target could be hit over El Paso. With both the party balloons and this multi-million dollar asset being taken out of the skies, it sure seems like both departments have new toys they are looking for any excuse at all to use.
