Washington Airport Drone Scare Exposes Vast Gaps in US Defenses

July 22, 2022, 9:30 AM UTC

A drone flight’s brief disruption of air traffic just miles from the US Capitol highlights the urgency of expanding the federal government’s power to take down aerial devices that threaten the public, officials say.

The reported drone sighting near Ronald Reagan National Airport just outside Washington, D.C., led the Federal Aviation Administration to halt temporarily take-offs and landings Thursday afternoon, just as many lawmakers were heading out of town for the weekend. A spokesperson for the airport said it resumed flights about 45 minutes after receiving reports of the sighting.

The disruption is a prime example of why Congress needs ...

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