Customs and Border Protection has released a list of desired functional capabilities for an upcoming procurement of small drones that can fly like fixed-wing aircraft but take-off and land vertically.
CBP says its currently plans to issue a solicitation during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020 for the hybrid-small unmanned aircraft system (H-sUAS).
Release of the functional capabilities list follows a Request for Information (RFI) last August from CBP to conduct market research on the H-sUAS systems, which the agency said would allow its Border Patrol agents to extend missions beyond existing vertical take-off (VTOL) and landing drones while avoiding potential airframe damage caused by landing fixed-wing aircraft.
The Border patrol has previously purchased several small UAS for its missions and testing, including the Lockheed Martin [LMT] Indago 3 and FLIR Systems [FLIR] Skyraider quadcopter VTOL systems, and the AeroVironment [AVAV] Puma 3 fixed-wing aircraft.
Some of the desired capabilities for the H-sUAS system include being able to detect humans from at least 0.3 miles from the aircraft with an objective range of two miles, requiring just two operators with an objective of a single operator, being able to detect items of interest day and night manually with an objective of being able to do so autonomously, and transmit data and video to the CBP common operating picture command and control center.
The earlier RFI said the hybrid drones will allow operators to detect items of interest in “rugged, remote, rural, urban, riverine, and coast environments,” and that the number of systems needed in each Border Patrol sector will vary based on geography, trained operators, available equipment, and need.
The May 27 pre-solicitation issued by CBP says the agency plans to use the Commercial Solutions Opening Pilot (CSOP) Program mechanism for the upcoming H-sUAS competition. The CSOP program was authorized in the fiscal year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act and enables CBP to quickly procure innovative technologies and commercial items from non-traditional contractors outside normal Federal Acquisition Regulations.
Secret Service Drone Interest
Separate, the Secret Service plans to begin evaluations of small surveillance drones to reduce its reliance on manned aircraft and improve operations, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The proof of concept testing will also help support the Secret Service’s aim of establishing an unmanned aircraft system program in fiscal year 2022, DHS says in a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) released earlier this month.
The assessment says that the Secret Service typically relies on manned aircraft for various types of imaging collection to protect motorcade routes, sites and National Special Security Events, adding that these aircraft have limitations such as lack of persistence and can be noisy to operate for certain situations.
The initial focus of the program is to identify commercial-off-the-shelf and non-developmental UAS to take advantage of previous investments and minimize risk, and help establish requirements. The testing will include small tethered drones with day/night optical sensors for performance in weather, payload and various mission requirements to demonstrate effectiveness in boosting situational awareness protected sites during presidential and vice-presidential visits, DHS says in the May 22 PIA, which was publicly released in June.
The drones will operate between 200 to 400 feet above the ground and be used to observe the outer perimeter of established secure zones. The camera systems will have limited zoom capabilities “and are unlikely to provide images of sufficient quality to permit subjecting them to a facial recognition system,” the PIA says, adding that if necessary, the focus will be on being able to physically describe a subject to aid in his or her interdiction.
It also says that the drones will not be used for recording, transmitting or intercepting signals.
The assessment also says that development of the Secret Service’s sUAS capabilities could occur in spirals, with the first focused on the protective mission and the second adding the investigative mission, and eventually others such as countermeasures.