Thread: New drone headed for border

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/border/91170.php

New drone headed for border
By Eric Swedlund
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

The U.S. Border Patrol is adding a $14 million unmanned aerial vehicle to monitor Arizona's borderlands, hoping the high-tech drone will improve efforts at cracking down on illegal drug trafficking and human smuggling.

The new UAV contract announced Tuesday follows last year's test program in which two $2.5 million drones patrolled in rotating eight-hour shifts along the border.

In a statement released Tuesday, Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., said the effectiveness of the pilotless surveillance aircraft has been demonstrated by years of military operations in remote areas like Afghanistan.

Earlier this year, Kolbe had criticized the Department of Homeland Security's office of Customs and Border Protection for canceling an earlier contract for the use of drones.

"I applaud them for finally moving forward and selecting the 'Predator B' as the UAV that will keep a watchful eye on our borders," Kolbe said in the press release. "They can't get them in the air soon enough as far as I am concerned."

The Predator B, made by General Atomics Aeronautical Services Inc., of San Diego, was selected after an extensive evaluation of the pilot program, said Mario Villarreal, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the Border Patrol.

"One of the things that is different with this system is its speed," Villarreal said. "It will be used to detect any type of activity that's happening on that portion of the border."

The Predator B can reach speeds of up to 230 mph and fly as high as 50,000 feet, though it will usually be used about 15,000 to 20,000 feet. It has the capability to fly for 30 hours.

The initial order is for one UAV for $14 million, which includes support services and maintenance.

The Predator B has "state-of-the-art electro-optic sensors, communications payloads, and sophisticated on-board sensors that will provide unparalleled surveillance capability," according to Customs and Border Protection. Border Patrol agents will control the drone and monitor real-time images.

"It'll supplement the already existing fleet of aircraft that we use in Arizona and supplement the front-line agents," Villarreal said.

The Border Patrol tested two Hermes 450 UAVs last year. Those craft were able to fly at more than 100 mph and remain in the air for 20 hours at a stretch.

The Predator B will be deployed in late September in support of Phase II of the Arizona Border Control Initiative, launched this summer.

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Border agents to get help from unmanned aircraft

'Predator B' arriving in Arizona next month

Billy House
Republic Washington Bureau
Aug. 31, 2005 12:00 AM

WASHINGTON - Federal officials say they will have a new "bird's-eye view" of activity along the Arizona-Mexico border, starting next month.

One day after President Bush assured Arizonans that his administration would deliver more border-enforcement resources, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced Tuesday a $14 million contract with a San Diego-based aeronautical company to deliver an unmanned aerial vehicle to aid their efforts in the state.

"This improves our ability to deter, detect and apprehend individuals conducting illegal activity, including smugglers, terrorists and people attempting to illegally enter our country," Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert Bonner said of the state-of-the-art, equipment-toting "Predator B" craft.

The aircraft, which will relay detailed images to the ground, including from remote areas where border agents cannot easily travel, is expected to be flying in the state by the end of September.

It can fly up to 253 mph and can reach altitudes of 50,000 feet, although it primarily will be operated between 15,000 and 20,000 feet. It weighs 10,000 pounds, has a wingspan of 66 feet and has a fuselage length of 36 feet.

One of the aircraft's biggest strengths is that it can operate for 30 hours at a time, operated and monitored remotely by agents and certified pilots on the ground.

The craft, made by General Atomics Aeronautical Services Inc., is to be based at Fort Huachuca, in Sierra Vista, agency spokesman Mario Villarreal said.

The contract with the company includes support services and maintenance for a year.

Arizona, the major illegal-crossing corridor in the nation, last year accounted for 52 percent of the 1.1 million arrests along the 1,950-mile border with Mexico.

Arizona's 389-mile share of that border includes remote, treacherous expanses of desert and well-established smuggling corridors.

The Predator B is to be deployed in support of the so-called Phase II of the Arizona Border Control Initiative, a Department of Homeland Security plan to increase the number of border agents in the state to 2,900 by the end of September.

That plan includes more helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to monitor smuggling corridors controlled by organized-crime networks.

No details of how many other companies competed for the contract were made available by agency officials Tuesday.

Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., who has been a vocal proponent of expanded use of more-effective technology on the border, praised the announcement of the contract.

"I have seen the Predator in action, and I believe it is the premier option in unmanned reconnaissance vehicles," Shadegg said.

Steve Camarota, research director for the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies, said he agreed that the aircraft will provide some needed help on the border.

"But bottom line: Let's also not get carried away here," said Camarota, who argues that there simply are not enough Border Patrol agents.

"The analogy is this is like a truckload of food and baby formula arriving in New Orleans. It's helpful. It's important. It's good," he said. "But if we're serious about defending the borders, it's only a small or tiny component of what you need to do."

Earlier this month, Gov. Janet Napolitano followed the lead of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a fellow Democrat, in declaring a state of emergency along the border with Mexico, to free up more money for patrols, equipment and other security needs.

During his appearance Monday in El Mirage, Bush said that he understood the problems border states face and that "there are more (federal) resources that will be available."

Regarding the new aircraft, Napolitano said in a statement Tuesday, "This is a step in the right direction, but we really need more resources."

It's all well and good to have these in the air. But it doesn't help, even a little bit if we don't have feet on the ground. I don't think these can swoop down and catch one person or do they have a big net on them.

Scubayons, that's exactly what I was thinking. All talk no action. All show no action. Until George Bush comes out and addresses this nation point blank on the issue, with his plans and actions, it will be nothing more than a continuation of George Bush, business as usual. Just my opinion.