Navy’s Counter-Drone Trials Uncover Flawed Cockpit Alerts, According to Officials

By David shepardson

WASHINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) – Earlier this month, the U.S. Secret Service and Navy conducted tests on counter-drone technology near Reagan Washington National Airport, which resulted in several flight crews receiving erroneous alerts about nearby aircraft. This facts was confirmed by both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and a U.S. senator on Thursday.

During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing, Senator Ted Cruz expressed his concerns regarding these false alerts from March 1 that forced some flights to abandon their landings. He pointed out that the interference stemmed from government testing utilizing the same frequency as the alert system, affecting at least twelve flights.Cruz described this testing as “inappropriate” and “deeply disturbing,” especially following a tragic incident on January 29 when an American Airlines regional jet collided with an Army helicopter,resulting in 67 fatalities.

Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau corroborated Cruz’s statements during the hearing. The senator noted that prior warnings had been issued to both the Navy and Secret Service about potential interference risks associated with using that specific frequency band. He also mentioned plans for further investigation into these events.

While there was no immediate response from either the Secret Service or Navy regarding this issue, earlier FAA reports indicated that some flight crews opted for go-arounds due to these alerts designed to prevent collisions; they are currently looking into why such alerts were triggered.

the focus on air traffic at Reagan National has intensified as January’s collision; it boasts America’s busiest runway. Pilots rely on Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS), which operate independently of ground-based air traffic control systems to warn of possible collisions.

In recent years, numerous alarming near-miss incidents have raised serious questions about aviation safety in the U.S.,particularly given ongoing staffing shortages within air traffic control operations.

(Reporting by David shepardson; additional reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Franklin Paul and Bill Berkrot)

(c) Copyright Thomson reuters 2025

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