Good day all. This is a bit of a breaking story and a lot has been changing on the ground…or is it in the air? I woke up to a story that the FAA had shut down all air traffic into and out of the El Paso airport.
There was not real explanation other then an on going security issue. Later Wednesday, the news came out that the shut down had been lifted along with more details as to why. This is a complicated story, so bear with me. Here are the details from Fox Business News:
The Federal Aviation Administration lifted a flight restriction that had grounded all flights to and from El Paso International Airport in Texas on Wednesday, after previously warning that the U.S. government “may use deadly force” against any aircraft in violation.
That should tell you how serious they saw this issue. Basically, they were prepared to shoot down any aircraft that violated the closed airspace. The last time I recall that happening was the 9/11 attack. Now, the reason for all this has been released.
A Trump administration official told Fox News that the initial lockdown came in response to “Mexican cartel drones” that breached U.S. airspace. The FAA had announced Wednesday morning that all flights to and from El Paso were being grounded, including commercial, cargo and general aviation. The restriction was initially set to be effective from February 10 at 11:30 p.m. MST to February 20 at 11:30 p.m. MST.
“Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace. The Department of War took action to disable the drones. The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel,” the official told Fox News.
Over the last few years, especially since the border was locked down by the Trump Administration, it’s been getting more difficult for the drug cartels to get their “products” into the United States. Now they are trying drones to fly over the border. There have also been reports that the Cartels have also been “Going Ukrainian” and using armed drones to attack border security agents.
Former FAA safety team member Kyle Bailey told Fox News on Wednesday that a 10-day restriction like the one initially announced would have been “unprecedented.” He also noted the airport’s proximity to the Fort Bliss Army post.
“It’s definitely something like a national security event, a high-level VIP,” Bailey speculated, “but the interesting thing is that on the Mexican side of the border there is no flight restriction.”
This isn’t surprising since the Cartels told their servants in the Mexican government to ignore anything happening along the border. Now that the airspace has reopened, more details have come out. Here are those details from Fox News:
Drones operated by Mexican drug cartels breached American airspace and were soon disabled by the U.S. military, the Trump administration announced Wednesday.
That’s a nice way of saying that either the Army or the AirForce blew the drones out of the sky. I’m curious on what they actually used? Was it a laser, some sort of directional electromagnetic pulse weapon, (EMP) or just a guy with a shotgun doing some skeet shooting?
The breach took place near El Paso International Airport in Texas, leading the Federal Aviation Administration to temporarily close the airport late Tuesday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the breach and lifted the airspace restriction on Wednesday.
What idiot on the Cartel’s side thought it was a great idea to fly a done near a commercial airport and a military base? I would have thought that the idea was to keep as far away as possible from anything that might tick off the United States government, not to mention triggering a full blown alert. Someone must have been sampling the product before setting up the flight plan.
He, (Sean Duffy), did not say how many drones were involved or what specifically was done to disable them.
I’m not surprised that they didn’t say how many and what they did. The tools and methods used are probably rather classified. However, in another story from Fox News, it turns out that what they initially reported, wasn’t actually the case. Here are those details from Fox News:
A U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the U.S. military earlier this week shot down what was later determined to be a party balloon near El Paso, Texas, after initially assessing it as a possible foreign drone.
Well, at least this time it wasn’t a Chinese spy balloon and we didn’t let it complete it’s mission before the Dementia patient in the White House, Joe Biden, decided that maybe we should shoot it down. This one was popped like a pimple in short order.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said earlier Wednesday the FAA and Department of War had “acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion.”
“The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region,” he said.
Yes, I will make jokes about this at the administrations expense when I think they might have overreacted. However, it’s not like the Democrats. I’m not going to be vicious about it. It’s also true that there have been drone incursions from Mexico by the Cartels, so there is an actual risk. In the end, everything worked out. Hopefully, the various government agencies and departments will use this as a learning experience and not a “learing” experience.
Thatisall
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