New TechnologiesThis Is The LOCUST Laser That Reportedly Prompted Closing El Paso’s Airspace Posted on February 22, 2026 by Administrator An AeroVironment LOCUST laser directed energy weapon owned by the U.S. Army was central to the chain of events that led to the recent shutdown of airspace around El Paso, Texas, according to Reuters. Though many questions still remain to be answered about how the flight restrictions came to be imposed, LOCUST was designed to respond to exactly the kinds of drones that regularly fly across the southern border from Mexico.
