Five federal departments signed an agreement on Monday to evaluate counter-drone systems together and clear them for use faster, an attempt to put defenses against hostile or careless drones in place without endangering passenger aircraft.
The memorandum of understanding was announced by the Federal Aviation Administration and signed by the departments of Transportation, War, Homeland Security, Energy and Justice. It was led by the White House Task Force to Restore American Airspace Sovereignty. Under it, the agencies will work with the FAA and the Federal Communications Commission when developing systems that detect, track, stop or take control of dangerous or unauthorized drones. They will share technical requirements, field testing and data, and the FAA will run quick safety risk assessments of proposed systems before they are used.
The practical change is speed. A senior FAA official, Liam McKenna, told Reuters the agency has already approved more than 1,000 coordinations with the Pentagon and the Homeland Security Department on counter-drone deployments, and that systems the FAA has evaluated before can be turned around in as little as 24 hours. “We’re very familiar with them from day one when they are ready,” he said.
The agreement builds on steps already taken this year. In October the FAA barred unauthorized drones along the entire border with Mexico, and in April the FAA and the Pentagon agreed on the government’s use of a high energy laser counter-drone system along the southern border. “We have demonstrated on the Southern Border that next-generation counter-drone defenses, including high-energy lasers, can be deployed rapidly and safely alongside civilian aviation,” the FAA said.
What the agreement does not do is just as important. It sets up a shared review process; it does not by itself grant any agency new legal authority to bring a drone down, and it does not remove the safety assessment. The FAA says it can also restrict airspace on its own if it judges that a planned deployment needs more protection.
Transparency note: This story is based on the FAA’s own announcement of the agreement and on Reuters reporting, including the FAA official’s figures for past coordinations.
