US Military Used New Laser Weapon To Shoot Down a Party Balloon It Thought Was a Drone Near El Paso

The US military used a new high-energy laser weapon earlier this week to shoot down a party balloon that it initially thought was a foreign drone near El Paso, Texas, according to a US official speaking to Fox News.

The official said the US military had been testing new anti-drone technology, including a laser, near the US Army base at Fort Bliss. After the laser weapon was used to shoot down what was initially assessed as a drone and later identified as a balloon, the airspace in the area was shut down by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Trump administration officials claimed that the FAA and the Pentagon responded to a “cartel drone incursion” despite the object being identified as a balloon. “The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.