Doesn’t pass the smell test? That’s pretty silly. I don’t see why they couldn’t have had several reasons for shooting it down rather than just one, including all those mentioned here. Plus it was a chance to get in a little target practice and training and see how well the systems worked.
You’re probably right. The article seems to assume an either/or situation.
This is modern America. You can have only one stated reason for doing something. More than one reason and you have too much complexity and people's brains shut down.