The Border Patrol this August will begin an operational assessment of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for use by agents to improve officer safety and situational awareness, says Scott Luck, deputy chief of the Border Patrol.
Small UAS have been used by the U.S. military in theater for years and “I think there is a requirement for Border Patrol agents to have that,” Luck says at the annual AFCEA Homeland Security Conference. However, he adds, “I can’t make that happen overnight.”
The operational assessment and feasibility study will begin this August in the El Paso Sector in Texas and last 30 to 45 days, Luck says. There will be both scripted and live scenarios.
For the assessment the Border Patrol will be using small UAS provided by the Army. There will be different types of UAS used to “see what best fits our need,” Luck says. The tests will be for day operations, he says.
As to the specific thresholds the Border Patrol is using to define a potential future UAS procurement, Luck says he doesn’t “know what we need right now. We have a requirement for short-range…so we’re looking at what’s best for that in that environment.”
Use of small UAS by agents will help them see across a canyon or over the next ridge, Luck says.
The Border Patrol does have a small number of UAS for special operations but these systems are used “very infrequently, if at all” due to concerns about other aircraft being potentially present, Luck says.
The Border Patrol has to have permission from the Federal Aviation Administration and deconflict with Customs and Border Protection’s air forces, Luck says. The FAA requires Certificates of Authorization to be in place for the Border Patrol to fly the UAS, he says.
The Border Patrol will “go through the steps that are needed but I think for officer safety, I think for situational awareness, small UAS, that’s the wave of the future,” Luck says.