CBP Displays Maritime Predator Aircraft at Paris Air Show

Washington — U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be displaying the world’s only fully operational maritime variant MQ-9 Predator B Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), the Guardian, next week at the world’s largest aviation trade show in Paris.

The Department of Defense U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and the U.S. Embassy in Paris requested that the Guardian attend the air show. EUCOM is providing strategic airlift of the Guardian from Cape Canaveral, Fla., to Le Bourget, France, onboard a U.S. Air Force C-17.

On June 19, the air show will open to Congressional delegations. The trade show will be open to military and trade officials June 20. The show is open to the general public June 24 where more than 140 aircraft will be on display and 2,000 international exhibitors and 88 countries will be represented.

The Paris Air Show presents a special opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities of the UAS to support homeland security missions and reinforce industry and government awareness of the significant role CBP aviation plays in securing our nation.

The Guardian began operational testing and evaluation in Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in February 2010 and began conducting missions in April.

CBP procured the remotely-piloted aircraft to enhance the agency’s long-range maritime surveillance, detection and targeting capabilities in the source and transit zones of the Eastern Pacific, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, as well as support anti-terror efforts along maritime smuggling routes.

Currently, CBP has five Predator B aircraft and two Guardian aircraft operating from strategic locations around the United States. Two additional Predator B aircraft are scheduled for delivery by December and third Guardian is scheduled for delivery in early 2012.

Since the inception of the CBP UAS program, the Office of Air and Marine has flown more than 10,000 hours, responding to requests for support from CBP ground agents and in support of CBP partners in disaster relief and emergency response, including various state governments and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

This past spring, the agency was honored with a the Aviation Week and Space Technology Laureate Award, for innovation and pioneering work in successfully adopting a marine search radar to an unmanned aircraft.

For more information please visit the UAS Program website.

For b-roll footage, please visit the following DVIDS website.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

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CBP Unmanned Aircraft System Providing Imagery Above Mississippi

Washington — U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Air and Marine (OAM) began providing imagery Monday to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) along the Mississippi River basin in support of flood response efforts.

The remotely piloted Predator B Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) is providing streaming video and Synthetic Apeture Radar (SAR) mapping and change analysis of areas affected by flooding, such as levee integrity along the Mississippi River, all the way to Memphis, Tenn.

The CBP MQ-9 Predator B Unmanned Aircraft is used to fly a variety of missions, including disaster relief support along the Mississippi River Valley. Pilots in Grand Forks, N.D. and Corpus Christi, Texas are providing images to the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help determine the integrity of the levees along the Mississippi River. 

The Predator B is launching from the National Air Security Operations Center-Corpus Christi (NASOC-CC) and then flown by pilots in North Dakota.

“This is the farthest we have operated into the interior of the United States,” said Director of Air Operations NASOC-GF, John Priddy. “This year alone, we have flown over 124 hours from Grand Forks in support of emergency responders in the national air space, and provided thousands of images to law enforcement and other agencies to help state and local governments respond appropriately.”

The real-time video stream, known as Big Pipe, is a video distribution system that CBP provides to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies so that responders have access to real-time video and still imagery. The images can be viewed anywhere there is an internet connection, including smart-phones.

The CBP UAS program expanded to the Northern Border in early December 2008 and provides reconnaissance, intelligence, surveillance, tracking and acquisition capabilities in areas that are difficult to access or otherwise considered too high-risk for manned aircraft or CBP personnel on the ground. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, the UAS flew over 500 hours in support of law enforcement and emergency responders.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

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CBP Unmanned Aircraft Reach 10,000-Hour Milestone

Washington - U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced today that its Office of Air and Marine's Unmanned Aircraft System program has achieved a historic milestone, exceeding 10,000 flight hours.

Unveiled in 2005, the highly capable and proven 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, Ariz., 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, Fla. 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.

CBP Unmanned Aircraft System highlights:

UAS Predator operations have resulted in the apprehension of 4,865 undocumented aliens and 238 smugglers; the seizure of 33,773 pounds of contraband; and 4,285 sensor activations.

OAM has trained over 100 UAS aircrew since program inception.

In June 2009, OAM conducted a successful surge operation to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, operating from the Army’s Wheeler-Sack airfield at Fort Drum, New York, OAM conducted simultaneous UAS law enforcement support operations via satellite, and demonstrated long-endurance UAS operations executed by several OAM UAS command sites.

In July 2009, OAM conducted the first-ever UAS landing at a commercial airport for CBP’s participation in Oshkosh. This was also the first time a UAS was on display at a non-military event.

To date, CBP has more than ten mission Certificates of Authorization in place, including two that account for approximately 1,200 miles along the U.S.-Mexico border and another that stretches 950 miles along the northern border from Spokane, Wash., to the vicinity of Lake-of-the-Woods, Minn.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

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CBP Unmanned Aircraft Aid Response to Red River Flooding

Grand Forks, N.D. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Office of Air and Marine has played a crucial role in responding to the severe flooding of the Red River in the upper Midwest.

CBP unmanned aerial systems began providing imagery around the Red River Valley area to the National Weather Service beginning March 25. The aircraft, flown from the National Air Security Operations Center-Grand Forks, have flown over 40 flight hours using their UAS to provide critical information to the NWS flood forecast and emergency management crews. These flights are flown in conjunction with normal operations, and do not take away from critical security missions.

The remotely piloted Predator B UAS has already mapped over 800 nautical miles along the flooded tributaries and basins in Minnesota and North Dakota. The UAS provides streaming video and Synthetic Aperture Radar mapping, and change analysis of areas affected by the flood, such as levee integrity and ice damming. The real-time video stream provides situational awareness to federal, state and local agencies working at the North Dakota and Minnesota emergency operations centers, as well as the North Dakota Army National Guard.

“The images we provide give forecasters a more accurate predictor of when and where the flooding will be at its worst,” said John Priddy, director of air operations at NASOC-GF. “Last year we flew more than 55 hours mapping the flooded areas, and with the Big Pipe video system constantly streaming imagery, it allows for the decision makers to study areas of concern in detail.”

Big Pipe is a video distribution system that CBP offers to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies providing real-time video and still imagery that increases situational awareness. The images can be viewed anywhere there is an internet connection-including smartphones- allowing for critical asset placement to be informed and timely.

The CBP UAS program expanded to the Northern Border in early December 2008 and provides reconnaissance, surveillance, tracking and acquisition capabilities in areas that are difficult to access or otherwise considered too high-risk for manned aircraft or CBP personnel on the ground. In Fiscal Year 2010, the UAS flew over 500 hours in support of law enforcement and emergency responders.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Read More >>