Airport authority seeks statutory limits on weaponized drones and laser strikes

Michael Shea, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, testified in support of HB 6861, which would prohibit weaponization of unmanned aircraft, restrict operations near designated critical infrastructure and ban projecting lasers at aircraft and operating flight paths.

Shea said the authority consulted with the FAA while drafting the provisions and urged collaboration on refining a definition of "critical infrastructure" so that the law avoids federal preemption and remains enforceable. Committee members asked questions about exceptions for operations such as FAA-authorized drone activity and asked how detection and interagency coordination would work.

Shea and other witnesses emphasized close coordination with the FAA, TSA and state police and cited ongoing NTSB investigations and national attention to airspace safety; the CAA expressed willingness to work with legislators on language clarifications and exceptions.

The committee requested technical language clarifications and follow-up discussions with aviation stakeholders before moving forward.