Pentagon Mistakes Border Patrol Drone for Enemy, Shoots It Down Because Coordination Is Overrated
KEY POINTS
- â˘The Pentagon accidentally shot down a CBP drone near Fort Hancock, Texas, due to zero coordination between agencies.
- â˘The FAA enforced a temporary flight restriction starting February 27 that lasts until June 24, not impacting commercial flights.
- â˘Air ambulance and search and rescue flights are exempted, highlighting the selective nature of the airspace shutdown.
In what might be the first-ever case of 'friendly fire' on federal drones, the Pentagon shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone near Fort Hancock, Texasâabout 50 miles southeast of El Pasoâbecause apparently, no one bothered to update anyone else. The FAA slapped on a 'temporary flight restriction' on February 27th at 6:30 pm, extending safeguards until June 24th, but luckily it doesnât delay commercial flights, just everyone else, including air ambulances and search & rescue crews who apparently made it onto the VIP exemption list. The Pentagon hinted it used a fancy laser system to vaporize the rogue drone, but then ghosted questions and pointed fingers back to the FAA. Meanwhile, CBP and the Pentagonâs coordination skills took a late holiday, leaving airspace as open as a DMVâs customer service line. This all happened just weeks after El Pasoâs airspace shutdown triggered a whole Washington blame game. Honestly, folks, next time someone says 'the military-industrial complex is well-oiled,' remind them itâs more like a rusted wind-up toy shooting down your own tech because no one read the group chat.
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The Pentagon just destroyed a drone that was theirs too because apparently, verifying facts is now an optional military exercise.
Nothing says efficiency like accidentally murdering your own surveillance tech and then organizing a six-month no-fly zone like itâs a weekend garage sale.
Defense Department and Border Patrolâs communication level is like two teenagers ignoring each otherâs texts before their Myspace countdown events.
Source: Axios | Published: 2/27/2026 | Author: Marc Caputo
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