US must address issues with anti-drone laser system, senator says

WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) - The top Democrat on the Senate Commerce ‌Committee said on Thursday that ‌recent incidents involving the government use of ​a laser-based anti-drone system in Texas put the flying public at risk and government agencies must address serious ‌issues.

"These incidents highlighted ⁠serious process failures that expose the flying public to ⁠unacceptable safety risks," Senator Maria Cantwell wrote to the Pentagon, Federal ​Aviation Administration, ​Department of Homeland ​Security and other ‌agencies. "It is unacceptable that this system was deployed without adequate coordination with FAA, which likely violated the law."

Cantwell noted the 2026 FIFA World ‌Cup and the 2028 ​Los Angeles Olympics will ​face ​potential drone threats and said ‌each U.S. government agency "with ​counter-drone responsibilities ​needs to be prepared now to act swiftly in the face ​of ‌any such threat without jeopardizing aviation ​safety."

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing ​by Sharon Singleton)