Agency Operates Five Predator B Aircraft From Various Locations
Around The Country
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Friday that its Office
of Air and Marine's Unmanned Aircraft System program has achieved a
historic milestone, exceeding 10,000 flight hours.
Predator B File Photo
Unveiled in 2005, the Predator B UAS supports CBP’s
primary mission of securing the border and preventing acts of
terrorism by helping to identify and intercept potential terrorist
and illegal cross-border activity. Manufactured by General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems Inc., the aircraft’s operational
capabilities, payload capacity and mission flexibility greatly
enhances the agency's enforcement and emergency and disaster
response efforts.
The remotely piloted aircraft provide aerial surveillance
support for up to 20 hours for personnel on the ground by
investigating sensor activity in remote areas to distinguish
between real or perceived threats, allowing CBP ground forces to
best allocate their resources and efforts, and providing increased
visibility even at night or in low light.
CBP also deploys the UAS in support of federal and state
directed disaster relief. The Predator B’s capability to
provide high-quality, real-time data assessing critical
infrastructure before and after catastrophic events makes it an
ideal aircraft to support emergency preparations and recovery
efforts.
The CBP UAS provided emergency support for the 2008 Atlantic
hurricane season and the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Red River floods in
the Midwest with excellent results. During the 2011 Red River Flood
response, CBP flew and collected 1,778 nautical miles of Synthetic
Aperture Radar in 22 days, heralding the single most extensive SAR
collection efforts ever achieved. The CBP UAS was also operated in
the Gulf of Mexico to assist with oil search efforts during the
Deepwater Horizon incident.
Today, CBP operates three Predator B aircraft from Libby Army
Airfield in Sierra Vista, AZ, and two from Grand Forks Air Base in
North Dakota. OAM also operates a Predator B maritime variant, the
Guardian, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, in Florida and
Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas.
In March 2008, CBP and the U.S. Coast Guard successfully
conducted a demonstration of a maritime variant of the Predator B
from Tyndall Air Force Base, FL. The event was the culmination of
more than a year’s work to deploy and demonstrate the
integration of a variant of the Predator B within CBP and Coast
Guard maritime operations. In November 2008, CBP and the Coast
Guard formed a UAS joint program office to identify and address
common maritime UAS requirements, including sensors, command and
control, data exploitation, logistics training and basing.
CBP currently has two additional Predator B aircraft on order
with scheduled delivery dates in early fiscal year 2012. These
aircraft will be the new “Dash 7” configuration that
can be equipped with either land or maritime radar systems in less
than eight hours.