Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the largest operator of long-endurance, high-altitude Predator unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) except for the Air Force, continues to look at how smaller unmanned systems can be used by its special operations teams, an agency official tells sister publication Defense Daily.
The agency previously procured two hand-launched Wasp Micro Air Vehicles off an Army contract that it tested and are currently deployed with its special force-type operators, but the Border Patrol would like a different set of capabilities that would come with a slightly larger system, Michael Kostelnik, assistant commissioner for CBP’s office of Air and Marine, said in an interview.
The small UAS are “not as high a priority” as the larger unmanned systems and “we’re still looking” for the right system, Kostelnik said. The earlier field testing with the Wasp system showed that it didn’t “deliver” what the Border Patrol law enforcement officers on the ground wanted “so we’re actually looking and talking with the Army for a slightly larger variant that” would be operated from the same control station since “we have some experience with that,” he said.
The slightly larger UAS is the Puma, which is also made by Aerovironment [AVAV].
Kostelnik said that if the Puma doesn’t work for the Border Patrol “we’ll look for other opportunities.”
Border Patrol Tactical Units and Special Response Teams, essentially special operations units within the Border Patrol, would use small UAS to improve their situational awareness while conducting missions. The small UAS systems are typically equipped with sensors, such as a day and night camera.
As with its purchase of Predator systems, CBP is exploring its use of small UAS by capitalizing on the development and operational experiences that the United States military has gained through its acquisition of remotely operated unmanned aircraft.
“They’ve already taken the risk,” Kostelnik said.
CBP will still do modest development, such as special radios on its aircraft to communicate with law enforcement, but these are subsystem, not whole system, modifications, Kostelnik said. The agency still puts the systems through its own test and evaluation processes and makes adjustments as needed for its particular missions, he said.
A particular issue of concern with small UAS versus larger systems like the Predator is the lack of redundant systems, which increases the risks associated with flying them in U.S. airspace, Kostelnik said. The Defense Department, on the other hand, typically flies smaller UAS in combat theaters, he said.
Given that small UAS are not the same priority level as Predator, that system will continue to be the main focus for CBP, Kostelnik said. The agency just took delivery of its seventh Predator, this one the maritime variant called Guardian. The newest system is at the Corpus Christi, Texas, Naval Air Station and will begin operations shortly.
CBP has funding for three more Predators and expects them all to be delivered either by the end of 2011 or early 2012, Kostelnik said. The long-range vision remains to have 24 Predators operating from six sites in the United States, which would be enough systems to be on alert and others to be doing operational missions on the borders, he said. That number of systems would allow a Predator to be on location over any area in the continental U.S. in three hours, he said.
The Predator UAS is built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.
Regarding CBP’s Multirole Enforcement Aircraft (MEA) program, Kostelnik said the first aircraft is expected to be delivered to the agency in May. All five if the initial aircraft–which are modified versions of the Hawker Beechcraft King Air twin engine special mission aircraft–are in the upgrade process. All five are expected to be delivered over the next year. CBP plans to buy up to 30 MEAs, which are being upgraded by Sierra Nevada Corp. (Defense Daily, Oct. 2, 2009).
Kostelnik said that everything about the MEA program is “either on time or ahead of schedule.”