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Officials Claim Drone Incursion Led to Shutdown of El Paso Airport

nytimes.com

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Re: Officials Claim Drone Incursion Led to Shutdown of El Paso Airport

#191

Post by kakacik »

nateburke wrote: post #158
fabian2k wrote: post #65

There is a circular restriction around the airport and a trapezoid one next to the city ( https://elpasomatters.org/2026/02/11/unexplained-faa-order-s... ). What are the plausible explanations here? I can't think of anything except military action against Mexico (or the cartels inside Mexico). But even that doesn't fit well. A suspected terror attack could explain the airspace around the airport, but not the weird tr…

My guess is nuclear test. Airport circle to secure the transport of the device to the ground adjacent to the test site. Trapezoid is the test site, wider on the side that is less controllable (border-facing). Disconnected because two separate teams executed in parallel without informed oversight.

While Mexican side has no restrictions - that would be supremely dumb even for a primary school level of thinking. Tons of civilians dead with clear reason who caused it, completely preventable.

Fantasy often likes extreme options but most probably saner reason like expected strike on cartels and their retaliation is whats happening.

Re: Officials Claim Drone Incursion Led to Shutdown of El Paso Airport

#192

Post by duxup »

lilytweed wrote: post #114

As someone else mentioned, there’s some speculation in aviation subreddits that the bounds of the altitude restriction map to the MANPAD capabilities that some cartels are purported to have. https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/1r1s4zt/comment/o... My read is that the admin is planning forceful strikes on the cartels within Mexico and is worried about their ability to retaliate by taking down US aircraft across…

Shooting down civilian American aircraft like that would seem to just be for an even more strong response…

Seems unlikely.

Re: Officials Claim Drone Incursion Led to Shutdown of El Paso Airport

#193

Post by guerrilla »

duxup wrote: post #192
lilytweed wrote: post #114

As someone else mentioned, there’s some speculation in aviation subreddits that the bounds of the altitude restriction map to the MANPAD capabilities that some cartels are purported to have. https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/1r1s4zt/comment/o... My read is that the admin is planning forceful strikes on the cartels within Mexico and is worried about their ability to retaliate by taking down US aircraft across…

Shooting down civilian American aircraft like that would seem to just be for an even more strong response… Seems unlikely.

They would want to avoid escalation. Escalation with cartels historically does not go well for anyone involved.

Re: Officials Claim Drone Incursion Led to Shutdown of El Paso Airport

#194

Post by JumpinJack_Cash »

lilytweed wrote: post #114

As someone else mentioned, there’s some speculation in aviation subreddits that the bounds of the altitude restriction map to the MANPAD capabilities that some cartels are purported to have. https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/1r1s4zt/comment/o... My read is that the admin is planning forceful strikes on the cartels within Mexico and is worried about their ability to retaliate by taking down US aircraft across…

Of course, the US elected the only celebrity of the 80s and 90s who hates blow.

On the other hand a careful analysis of the plumbing system of Trump's Tower and Trump's Hotels in general would reveal possibly the highest concentration of coke than any other building in the world considering the intersection of wealth and istrionic personalities who called those apartments home at one time or the other.

Fate sure loves irony

Besides I would go to my grave claiming that racism is particularly strong in the war on drugs, if coca grew plentiful and naturally in the US and Europe it would not be illegal at all.

But it's scary because uh ohh inssulfation of an extract of a plant coming from the global south we are all gonna die, somebody will please think of the children.

But hey you can gulp 60 oz of super strong energy drinks which equate to about 5-6 fat lines, matter of fact you can gulp 600 oz and cause yourself a heart attack and nobody would bat an eye or investigate the safety profile of such drinks

It's the same old story with alcohol too

Re: Officials Claim Drone Incursion Led to Shutdown of El Paso Airport

#195

Post by walletdrainer »

FranklinJabar wrote: post #161
lilytweed wrote: post #114

As someone else mentioned, there’s some speculation in aviation subreddits that the bounds of the altitude restriction map to the MANPAD capabilities that some cartels are purported to have. https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/1r1s4zt/comment/o... My read is that the admin is planning forceful strikes on the cartels within Mexico and is worried about their ability to retaliate by taking down US aircraft across…

[flagged]

“Terrorists” would tend to not consider themselves such.

I doubt the same is true of cartels and their members.

Re: Officials Claim Drone Incursion Led to Shutdown of El Paso Airport

#196

Post by peyton »

estearum wrote: post #173
nateburke wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My guess is nuclear test. Airport circle to secure the transport of the device to the ground adjacent to the test site. Trapezoid is the test site, wider on the side that is less controllable (border-facing). Disconnected because two separate teams executed in parallel without informed oversight.

... I don't think they're detonating a nuclear weapon in a National Monument 50 miles from a large US city... There are plenty of better places for them to do this.

It’s probably not SOP to land nuclear weapons at the municipal airport either.

Re: Officials Claim Drone Incursion Led to Shutdown of El Paso Airport

#197

Post by throwaway173738 »

pandemic_region wrote: post #116
shaky-carrousel wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They probably lost a nuke in the area. Wouldn't be the first time.

Honest question: do you mean it was stolen or it fell out of the plane by accident or something like that?

Probably the latter.

Re: Officials Claim Drone Incursion Led to Shutdown of El Paso Airport

#198

Post by nessbot »

reactordev wrote: post #185
Eddy_Viscosity2 wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even Cartels know that shooting down civilian aircraft in US airspace would be an escalation that would lead to heavy retaliation. Doesn't seem likely to me.

Coming from groups that just pickup busses of people to murder, I wouldn’t be so sure that firing back at the US would be out of the question.

Murdering buses of people doesn't bring the full force of the US military on them. The difference is the risk not the depravity.

Re: Officials Claim Drone Incursion Led to Shutdown of El Paso Airport

#199

Post by ben_w »

grosswait wrote: post #168
torpfactory wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My read is most likely some kind of strike on the cartels. There hasn’t seemed to be any significant US military buildup so it’s something they’ll be able to do with a smaller force. The trapezoid makes me worried about a ground incision there- it extends to the border and would be a cover space for an invasion force. Absolutely bonkers that we are even having this discussion. The TFR is most likely contingency plann…

You are the first person to mention invasion. Kind of bonkers to jump to that conclusion.

Unfortunately, we find ourselves living in a bonkers time.

Re: Officials Claim Drone Incursion Led to Shutdown of El Paso Airport

#200

Post by sva_ »

> Airline sources told Reuters the grounding of flights was believed to be tied to the Pentagon's use of counterdrone technology to address Mexican drug cartels' use of drones of the U.S.-Mexico border.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-halts-all-flights-texass...

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