Thread: Predator drone cleared to fly border in September

Predator drone cleared to fly border in September

June 23, 2010 8:02 PM
Jared Janes
The Monitor

An unmanned aerial vehicle will patrol the state’s 1,200-mile border with Mexico and its coastal areas beginning Sept. 1, members of the state’s congressional delegation announced Wednesday.

The Federal Aviation Administration cleared the surveillance aircraft to combat drug cartels and human trafficking in Texas after determining the remotely operated aircraft posed no significant safety concerns to heavy air traffic in the state, said U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection launched the domestic UAV program in 2005 to support law enforcement in policing illegal cross-border activity, but none of the six Predator B drones conducted operations in Texas until earlier this month.

Because Texas accounts for most of the nation’s 1,954-mile border with Mexico, Cuellar said, getting the unmanned aircraft into the state’s skies is critical to any border security strategy.

“These eyes in the skies will be able to find activity along the border and quickly divert personnel to those areas,â€

Are these drones going to be like those airplanes that help young geese find their way during migrations? Follow the drone to the U.S. border. Or will they provide souvenier photos to illegals of their trip across the border? I don't trust anything this administration does.

Originally Posted by ReggieMay

Are these drones going to be like those airplanes that help young geese find their way during migrations? Follow the drone to the U.S. border. Or will they provide souvenier photos to illegals of their trip across the border? I don't trust anything this administration does.

They are the same drones that our military troops use.

General Atomics MQ-1 Predator - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The RQ-1 Predator drone became the primary unmanned aerial vehicle used for offensive operations in Afghanistan and the Pakistani tribal areas. ...

Development - Operational history - Operators - Specifications

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_At ... 1_Predator

Border drones

June 23, 2010 3:55 PM
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration has approved the expansion of unmanned drone aircraft flights to patrol the entire Texas-Mexico border.

In a prepared statement, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison announced the Wednesday decision expanding the flights long sought by Texas officials.

According to the statement, U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement will be allowed to begin the flights along the entire length of the Texas-Mexico border on Sept. 1.

On May 14, the FAA approved the use of unarmed, unmanned surveillance drones over the border between Mexico and West Texas and New Mexico. Those flights began June 1.

Drone flights were approved previously for the Arizona-Mexico border.

http://www.oaoa.com/news/strong-49064-b ... rones.html

A drone will do nothing but inform everyone how many new illegals we have to give amnesty too.

Originally Posted by Dianne

A drone will do nothing but inform everyone how many new illegals we have to give amnesty too.

The drones will pinpoint the location of the illegal on the border so that the border patrol can go round them up.

I have extreme reservations about endorsing this technology for use anywhere and did not wish to see it on U.S. soil so it would be fitting that it start with this use - I have to support it. Wonder if they will just start shooting them down? Ooops! Edit - I mean the Mexican military shooting down the drones.

Bring our troops home and give amnesty to U.S. citizens!

Originally Posted by sarum

I have extreme reservations about endorsing this technology for use anywhere and did not wish to see it on U.S. soil so it would be fitting that it start with this use - I have to support it. Wonder if they will just start shooting them down?

Bring our troops home and give amnesty to U.S. citizens!

I haven't heard of any drones being shoot down in Iraq or Afghanistan war zones
so it isn't likely the Mexicans can shoot them down.