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FAA Issues Warning With 'Clear Message' Before Drone Test
On Friday, June 13, the Federal Aviation Administration revealed it will conduct drone-detection testing near Santa Teresa, NM from June 16-27.
According to a statement from the FAA, the administration's Center of Excellence for UAS Research, in coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection will conduct the testing at Doña Ana County International Jetport. State a local first responders will be on hand for the tests.
This will be the third major drone-detection test planned by the FAA following the first two tests in Alaska and Cape May, NJ. The FAA selected the New Mexico location for its hot and arid climate, which the administration revealed supports its testing objectives.
"The FAA will operate several large drones and about 100 commercial off-the-shelf drones during the two-week period. Testing will take place over the desert and near the old Rio Grande Speedway during the daytime on weekdays only," the FAA announced.
Additional tests are scheduled in Mississippi and North Dakota later this year. The tests are run to help determine the effectiveness of the FAA's technologies and whether they might interfere with administration or aircraft navigation systems.
Before the test runs in New Mexico later this month, the FAA issued a stern message to the public. "The public should not fly recreational drones near this area during the testing period," the administration said before offering a "clear message."
"The FAA receives more than 100 drone-sighting reports near airports each month, and we want to send a clear message that operating drones around airplanes, helicopters, and airports is dangerous and illegal," it said.
The FAA initially chartered the UAS Detection and Mitigation Systems Aviation Rulemaking Committee on March 16, 2023, to advise the agency on safely integrating drone detection and mitigation systems.
After the ARC made 46 recommendations on ensuring systems do not interfere with the safe and efficient operation of the National Airspace System the FAA announced it incorporated many of the recommendations into the administrations work to ensure Issues Warning With 'Clear Message' Before Drone Test first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 14, 2025
