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The United States has just reached an unprecedented agreement with civil aviation to use military lasers on American soil — the goal is to create a defense dome that takes down drones at the speed of light and costs cents per shot
On April 13, 2026, the FAA — the agency that controls U.S. airspace — announced a historic agreement with the Department of Defense. For the first time, military lasers have been authorized to operate regularly within American civil airspace to take down unauthorized drones.
The agreement is the first step towards what the Pentagon calls the “Laser Dome” — a directed energy-based defense dome that can protect cities, military bases, and critical infrastructure.
The decision came after two incidents at the border with Mexico in February 2026, when military lasers were used against drones and caused an immediate closure of civil airspace — exposing the urgent need for clear rules regarding the use of this technology.
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The incidents at the border that accelerated everything
On February 11, 2026, near Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, Border Patrol agents used a 20-kilowatt military laser — the AMP-HEL system, a vehicle-mounted version of LOCUST, manufactured by AeroVironment — against an unidentified target.
The airspace was closed immediately.
Sixteen days later, on February 27, military personnel near Fort Hancock neutralized a drone from the Border Patrol itself, causing another closure.
The two incidents exposed a problem: powerful lasers capable of taking down drones can also be dangerous to civilian aircraft flying overhead.
The FAA and the Pentagon needed a formal safety agreement. And they achieved it in record time.
Why a laser is different from a missile — and why it costs cents
Traditional defense systems like the Patriot or the Iron Dome fire interceptor missiles. Each missile costs between $50,000 and $3 million.
Against drones that cost $500 — or even less — this equation simply doesn’t add up. A single Patriot missile could pay for a thousand enemy drones.
A high-energy laser travels at the speed of light — 300,000 km per second. There is no reaction time for the target. And each shot consumes only electrical energy, costing cents.
While a missile system has finite ammunition, a laser can fire indefinitely as long as it has electricity.
The LOCUST system, used at the border, operates at 20 kilowatts. It is mounted on military vehicles and has an automatic shutdown mechanism that prevents firing when civilian aircraft are in the way.
What the FAA tested — and why it was approved
Before finalizing the agreement, the FAA and JIATF-401 — the Pentagon task force for counter-drones — conducted tests at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
The conclusions were clear:
- The LOCUST’s automatic shutdown mechanism prevents unsafe firings
- The laser beam does not cause catastrophic damage to aircraft at maximum range
- At cruising altitudes, the energy of the beam is insufficient to affect commercial airplanes
In other words: the laser is deadly to drones at close range, but harmless to planes at several kilometers of altitude.
The FAA concluded that regular use “does not pose undue risks to passenger aircraft.”
$580 million to build the American “Laser Dome”
The agreement with the FAA is just the first step.
In the fiscal year 2027 budget, the Pentagon requested $580 million for research and development for JIATF-401, plus an additional $800 million in potential counter-drone system acquisitions.
The long-term goal is to create a network of lasers capable of protecting American territory against aerial threats — the so-called “Laser Dome.”
The plan aligns with President Trump’s “Golden Dome for America” program, which seeks a domestic missile shield powered by directed energy technologies.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom announced in January 2026 plans for a “domestic laser screen” with low-power dazzlers to protect military facilities and critical infrastructure — signaling that the race for directed energy defense is global, not just American.
From 20 kilowatts to megawatts: the path to taking down missiles
The current 20 kW lasers are effective against small drones. But for larger threats — such as cruise missiles or hypersonic vehicles — the power needs to increase dramatically.
American companies like nLight are developing megawatt-class lasers capable of taking down ballistic missiles.
The difference in power is akin to comparing a flashlight to a stadium spotlight. The current 20 kW burns drones in seconds. A megawatt could destroy a missile flying at Mach 5.
But this technology is not yet operational. The current arsenal of U.S. military lasers is limited, and the Pentagon acknowledges that the goal of large-scale deployment may take three years or more.
The limitations that cannot be ignored
The enthusiasm for defense lasers has important counterpoints.
Lasers are affected by atmospheric conditions. Rain, fog, and dust reduce their effectiveness. In a country the size of the U.S., ensuring coverage in all weather conditions is a huge challenge.
The FAA agreement only covers the land border. Using lasers over dense urban areas raises much more complex safety issues.
And while the U.S. advances in laser defense, adversaries like China and Russia are investing in faster, cheaper, and more numerous drones and missiles — a race where the volume of threats may exceed the capacity of any dome.
However, the agreement of April 13 marks a turning point. For the first time, laser weapons have been formally integrated into the civil airspace of a country — paving the way for a new era of air defense that operates at the speed of light.
If the U.S. is already allowing lasers to take down $500 drones at the border, how long until this technology reaches entire cities — and at what cost to privacy?
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