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.

FMI: www.cbp.gov