The Pentagon’s Joint Interagency Task Force 401 counter drone task force and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted a high-energy laser test last week in an effort to advance the safe use of counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) in the United States.
The test was scheduled for March 7-8, 2026, according to the announcement.
The event is part of a long-term partnership between the Department of Defense (DOD) and the FAA aimed at integrating counter-drone technologies into the national airspace system.
Under the Trump administration, the DOD was rebranded to the Department of War.
C-UAS are technologies designed to detect, track, identify, and mitigate unauthorized or hostile drones.
“By working hand-in-hand with the FAA and our interagency partners, we are ensuring that these cutting-edge capabilities are safe, effective, and ready to protect Americans from emerging drone threats,” said U.S. Army Brigadier General Matt Ross, director of JIATF-401. “Our measure of success is to quickly deliver state-of-the-art C-UAS capability to the warfighter, and this test furthers that mission.”
According to the announcement, several federal entities supported the test, including the FAA, White Sands Missile Range, the Army Program Executive Office for Fires, U.S. Northern Command, and Joint Task Force Southern Border.
The Pentagon said the demonstration continues testing conducted by the DOD over several decades. According to DOD, previous tests produced data used to refine C-UAS systems and inform coordination between the Pentagon and the FAA. This test specifically addressed FAA safety concerns while gathering data about the laser’s material effects on aircraft surrogates to validate the functionality of automated safety shut-off systems and informing analyses of aircrew eye safety.
Officials said the test is part of a broader federal effort to address threats from unmanned aerial systems while maintaining the safety of U.S. airspace.